Deliverance from Evil
by Ketchum Kid
Summary: "O, Radiant Magi, Who shines down thy Brilliance and Marvel, Deliver thy Chosen One from Evil, And train thy Beloved One for the impending Clash, Lest thine worlds shall fall to Ash." Just how did Yue get involved in this mess? And why is she falling for a clueless idiot who trains and battles wild animals?  First book in the Radiant Chosen Series. BakaRavenShipping Ash x Yue
1. Underground, Overexposed

_Hello, and welcome to my first published story on Fanfiction! __This the first of three (and 1/2) stories in an epic saga that I have dubbed the Radiant Chosen Series. Why is it called Radiant Chosen? The summary gave you a clue..._

_The story start midway through Chapter 145: The Clock's Ticking for the Time Machine in Mahora Sensei Negima!, and Episode 657: A Semi-Final Frontier! for Pokemon, so get a good idea of the plots of either up to that point. In addition, there is a link to Deviantartist **SuperSonia** AKA Youtuber **Aelita1234** AKA my girlfriend. I have commissioned drawings for the series, which will continue as more chapters get updated. While she is not Da Vinci, please use the drawings as a visual guide to the story. As well, follow my personal forum, also found on my page, to find out about updates and such.  
_

_I admit that this chapter is too short and dry for most tastes, but it has to be in order to explain aspcts of both worlds for those too lazy to read the tidbit above. Also, the way that the two worlds meet is rather cliche, but it serves a greater purpose in the next chapter. You don't want anything happening at random, now do you? I didn't think so. Finally, the Romance genre will take a REALLY long time to develop. So please, give them a chance before throwing out this story._

_Finally, I would like to dedicate this work to fellow Fanfiction author Pete the Rock, whose stories not only got me interested in the crossover realm, but in Fanfiction as well._

_Enjoy!_

_**A.N. 9/27/11**: As far as I know, this is the first ever Ash Ketchum/Yue Ayase crossover story anywhere. As such, there is no official shipping name for the pairing. As such, I am dubbing the paring **BakaRavenShipping**. If somebody can get that officially listed on the shipping sites, or confirm if there are any other instances of this pairing out on the net, I would be most appreciative of that person._

**_EDIT 6/30/14_**_: General cleanups have gone on for this chapter._

* * *

**Deliverance from Evil**

**A Pokemon/Mahora Sensei Negima! Crossover**

**Chapter I: Underground, Overexposed**

In the very bowels of the Earth, far underneath the unsuspecting feet of the residents of a bustling town, lies a giant, spherical cavern, containing a large ancient ruin. The ruin is symmetrical, having four walkways which extend outward from a center platform that is suspended above the bottom of the cavern. A large glowing sphere of energy, about fifteen feet in diameter, hovers over the center of the glyph-covered central platform. Giant tree roots cover the sides of the cavern. The ruin appears to have been undisturbed for many years.

That, however, was going to change very soon. The faint sounds of faraway footsteps were slowly getting louder with each passing second. From the noise they were making, it appeared that there were several people running fast, making no attempt to conceal their approach to the central cavern.

"An exit! We've caught up to the light!" a voice called out.

"Alright!" another person, who had a British accent, cheered. Soon, the entire group ran into the chamber. There were eight people total: seven young teenaged girls, and a boy, no more than ten years old. The boy had reddish brown hair that was tied up into a short, messy ponytail. He was wearing a light green collared shirt, a green suit, and a red tie. A white weasel-like creature was on his head, and a staff-like object, covered completely in bandages, was strapped to his back.

As each person entered the ruin, they stopped, taking in the sight of what now lay before them.

"GAH?!"

"WOAH"

"WHAT?"

"What the-?!"

"Oooh!"

"WHAT IS THIS PLACE?!"

"Wow, it's huge!"

"WHAT IS THIS?!" a redhead with glasses demanded. "What's a giant ruin doing here under the academy?!"

"How should I know?" the boy replied. He turned his attention tho the center of the room. "Chamo, take a look at the center…!"

The weasel lifted its head, looked at the light, and nodded. "Yeah, you're right!" he said. He had an accent too, but a Brooklyn accent.

"Everyone!" he yelled. "Run to the center! It's the final glimmer of the World Tree's magic!"

"We've got a goal!" a girl cheered. She had her orange hair tied up into pigtails.

"RUN! RUN!" a dark green-haired girl with glasses urged. A mad dash ensued, with everyone racing towards the main platform of the ruin like it was Black Friday at the shopping mall…

…With one exception. One girl was walking far slower than the rest of the group, and was engrossed in studying the root-covered walls of the ruin intently.

"Hmm…" she pondered. She had long purple hair, and wore a witch's hat and cloak. "These tools could be some kinda tool to focus the magic of the World Tree…" Chamo noticed that she had fallen behind.

"Well that's not important right now! If we don't hurry, that giant lizard's gonna catch up-!"

**SHTOMP!**

The group, still running, turned their heads, and looked at the source of the "sthomp." To say that they were not happy with what they saw would be a clear understatement. Right where they were standing just seconds earlier stood a giant, terrifying dragon. It spread out its giant grey wings and let out a fearsome "GRROOOAR!"

That was enough to make even the purple-haired girl begin to run for the middle of the ruins.

"HERE IT COMES!" a raven-haired girl warned.

"IT'S HUGE!" the green-haired girl exclaimed. "Its wingspan must be about 30 meters!" That was enough to make the redhead with glasses go pale.

"No, no, no, we don't stand a chance!" She exclaimed as they reached the center platform.

"Big Bro!" Chamo asked. "The Cassiopeia!"

The kid took out a pocket watch-like device, making some adjustments to the knobs on the top. "It's good to go," he replied.

"O-okay," the other redhead stated with impatience, "then let's go! Now! Push the button!"

"I can't!" the boy stated. "Kaede isn't here yet!"

**FLAP! FLAP!**

"I-IT'S ABOUT TO TAKE FLIGHT!" a girl with dark purple hair screamed.

"WE'RE OUT OF TIME NEGI!" the green-haired girl demanded. "DO IT!" The boy shook his head.

"NO! Kaede is-!"

"**Right here!**"

Next to the boy, almost as if right out of thin air, a tall brunette appeared wearing a bear ear headband and a classic schoolgirl outfit. Her appearance certainly relieved Negi's worry.

"Kaede!" he exclaimed in relief.

"I'm sorry to keep you waiting," she apologized. If Negi was angry, he certainly didn't show it.

"No, perfect timing!" he stated.

"Phew!" the girl replied. Negi did a quick head count before turning to everyone.

"All right, we're all here!" he declared. "Let's go!"

"Everyone hold hands!" shouted Chamo "Make sure you don't let go!"

They all stood in a near complete circle, each holding the hand of the person next to them (except Chamo; he was situated on Negi's left shoulder). But just as Negi was about to press the button on the top of the Cassiopeia, he stopped, staring intently at the device. After a few seconds, everyone began to stare at him, wondering what was wrong.

Chamo was the first to speak. "Hm?" he asked. No response. "What's up, big bro?" Again, no response.

"H-HEY!" one of the girls shouted. "It's coming! Coming really fast!" That certainly got a response, for two reasons. One, it was said not by Chamo, but by the girl with glasses. Second, he instantly realized what the girl was pointing out. In all the time that was spent waiting for Kaede and getting ready to use the Cassiopeia, they had forgotten all about the dragon, which was now flying straight towards them.

If there was ever a time for the group to panic, it would be now.

"Big bro!" Chamo yelled at Negi. "What are you waiting for?! Push the button!"

Negi squeezed his eyes shut. The dragon flew closer.

"NEGI?!" the girls yelled.

Finally his eyes snapped open. "Hold on tight! Here we go!"

The dragon swooped downward, its course set, and jaw open. Some of the girls screamed.

Negi pressed the button firmly.

Instantly, a ticking noise, like that of a wristwatch, reverberated around the chamber. At the same time, a powerful gust of wind enveloped the group. Both the ruin and the dragon quickly disappeared, as the group found themselves in the time stream, one that they hoped would send them back home. However, a hurricane of wind was pounding them from all angles, as they struggled to stay together.

"THIS IS DIFFERENT FROM BEFORE!" Negi yelled, not sure if anyone could hear him over the sound of the roaring wind.

Then, he suddenly felt the presence of something else within the time stream. He looked around to confirm his suspicions.

Two titanic beings had emerged out of the wind. The first was a colossus blue and grey four-legged creature, with an azure-colored jewel embedded in its chest. Light blue pulsating veins contrasted with the dark blue skin. The beast had a large, flat forehead protruding out of its head, and a giant grey fin above its tail.

The second creature was directly opposite the first, and across from Negi's group. It was significantly shorter than the first, and was bipedal, with pinkish-white skin accented by the purple veins running down from its head, which resembled that of a serpent. Two fins stuck out of its back, and a pink jewel was nestled in each of the creature's shoulders.

The first being had its head reared back, a blue ball of energy formed inside. The other had a pink aura around its right claw, which was cocked backwards, as if to throw something. Negi quickly surmised that the creatures were fighting each other.

'_And we happen to be in the way of their next attacks!' _Negi turned towards the others, a look of sheer terror on his face.

"EVERYONE, KEEP HAN**-**!"

Negi could not finish his warning, for at that second, the beings released their attacks, and a blue ball of energy and a pink wave of energy simultaneously collided with Negi's group. The resulting explosion forced everyone to release their grips. Before they could be flung far from each other, however, they were all enveloped in a pink light, and dissolved into nothingness.

* * *

If ever there was a time for Ash Ketchum to panic, it would be now.

He was competing in the Lily of the Valley Sinnoh League Championship Series, and had reached the semi-finals for the first time in his career as a Pokemon Trainer. His semi-finals opponent, however, was Tobias, a powerful trainer who had reached the semi-finals using only the powers and skill of the legendary Pokemon Darkrai. In the first half, it seemed that Tobias would once again cruise to an easy victory, as Ash's Heracross, Torkoal, and Gible provided little resistance. Sceptile, however, eventually managed to defeat the Pitch-Black Pokemon. Just when it seemed that luck was finally back on Ash's side…

"AND TOBIAS'S SECOND POKEMON IS LATIOS!"

The announcer heralded the arrival of the blue and white legendary dragon that Tobias sent forth. Ash was stunned for a few seconds, before grinning. Even though he was up against another legendary Pokemon, Ash still managed to have his trademark confidence (or overconfidence, depending on who you ask).

"I'm not gonna lose no matter what kind of Pokemon he uses!" he stated. "Now, use Leaf Blade!"

The Sceptile, which looked like a giant green gecko, ran forward, the leaves on its forearms growing green and extending into blades. It then jumped and sailed towards the blue and white dragon.

Tobias was not intimidated at all. "Latios, use Giga Impact!"

The Latios became covered in a purple and yellow hue before charging at Sceptile. Closer and closer the two creatures sped, a collision imminent, when…

**TICK-TOCK-TICK-TOCK-TICK-TOCK-TICK-TOCK**

Ash heard the sound coming from the battlefield, an saw a pink light appearing where Sceptile and Latios would collide. "Sceptile, watch out!"

The warning came too late, as something materialized in front of Sceptile. The Wood Gecko Pokemon had no time to react, and crashed clumsily into the object, before being broadsided by Giga Impact. As Sceptile and the object plummeted to the ground, Ash raced towards the rapidly falling creatures. He was halfway there when they hit the ground, kicking up enough dust to force Ash to shield his face.

"SCEPTILE!"

When the dust cleared, Sceptile was lying on the ground, out cold. That was expected; the sheer power from a Giga Impact is undeniable, and the fact that Secptile had not been in a position to block the attack made things worse. The injuries, compounded with those sustained from its previous battle with Darkrai, were enough to knock the Wood Gecko Pokemon out.

What wasn't expected was the girl that was now lying near Sceptile, as well as the snow-white animal that was next to her. The girl had very long purple hair that flowed down to her hips in what could only be described as cowtails. She appeared as a cross between a schoolgirl and a trainer: she wore a black turtleneck, yellow shorts, red school shoes, and black socks that extended up to her thighs. What was strange about her, however, was that she looked as much like a witch as well: she wore a blue robe, a witch's broom and hat lay near her, and a thick green textbook was held loosely in her left hand.

Both human and Pokemon (?) were very dirty from the impacts with Sceptile, Latios, and the ground. They also did not appear to be moving.

Ash raced out to the middle of the field, quickly glancing to check on Sceptile, before making sure that the girl was still breathing. He could do no more, as the referee and paramedics arrived, forcing Ash to back off and let the professionals do their work.

Ash returned Sceptile to his Pokeball, then watched as the girl was carried off to be treated for any injuries. Ash wished that he was still battling, but not because of annoyance that it was suspended. He felt partly responsible for her injuries.

Little was it known then how much this girl would be of importance to not only Ash, but to the vast worlds in which the two would soon begin to traverse._  
_

**To Be Continued...**


	2. Yue Seen Nothing Yet!

_I was going to release this last night, but Document Manager screwed up when it was uploaded. So I had to fix just about everything. :(_

_Alright guys, don't rush to review all at once. This is where I'd normally thank my reviewers for the last chapter, but since there were none, well...you get the idea. I know that most of last chapter was canon information, but I was hoping for something better than the goose egg I have so far, especially since there were over thirty visitors to this story. Please, when you finish the chapter, click the review button, at the very least to say that it was good/bad._

_Ranting over. Time for chapter two!_

**_EDIT 6/30/14_**_: Chapter overhaul_

* * *

**Chapter II: Yue Seen Nothing Yet!**

If there was ever a time for Yue Ayase to panic, it would be now.

She, along with seven of her friends and her ten-year-old English teacher Negi Springfield, were racing down a dank tunnel, chasing after the bright light that represented the last remnants of the magic of the World Tree. It was important that they caught up to the magic for two reasons. One, if the magic disappeared, the Cassiopeia, a time traveling device, would not work, which would leave everyone stranded in the terrible future that fellow classmate Chao Lingshen had sent them to.

Two, and more importantly at the moment, they were now being chased by a giant dragon.

Yue wiped the dragon saliva off her hat as the group rounded a bend in the tunnel. A bright glow was emanating just ahead in an upcoming room.

"An exit! We've caught up to the light!" she said

"Alright!" Negi cheered. They raced through the opening. What they saw awestruck the rest of the group. A giant cavern lay sprawled before them, holding an impressive megalith ruin.

"GAH?!" Chisame.

"WOAH" Asuna.

"WHAT?!" Haruna

"What the-?" Chamo.

"Oooh!" Ku Fei.

"WHAT IS THIS PLACE?!" Haruna again.

"Wow, it's huge!" And finally, Nodoka.

"WHAT IS THIS?!" Chisame demanded. "What's a giant ruin doing hear under the academy?!"

"How should I know?" Negi replied. He noticed that a large ball of energy was floating over the center of the structure. "Chamo, take a look at the center…!"

The ermine on Negi's shoulder lifted its head, looked at the light, and nodded. "Yeah, you're right!" he said. "Everyone!" he yelled to the girls. "Run to the center! It's the final glimmer of the World Tree's magic!"

"We've got a goal!" Asuna cheered.

"RUN! RUN!" Haruna urged. Yue, however, had quickly become fascinated with the ruin, and paused to look around and take in all of the ancient glyphs scattered around the site.

"Hmm," She pondered. "These ruins could be some kinda tool to focus the magic of the World Tree…" Chamo spotted her slow walk.

"Well, that's not important right now!" the ermine protested. "If we don't hurry, that giant lizard's gonna catch up-!"

**SHTOMP!**

"GRROOOAR!"

Too late. Yue quickly stopped observing and started running.

"HERE IT COMES!" Setsuna warned.

"IT'S HUGE!" Haruna yelled. "It's wingspan must be about 30 meters!" That was enough to make Chisame go pale.

"No, no, no, we don't stand a chance!" The group reached the center of the room.

"Big Bro!" Chamo asked. "The Cassiopeia!" Negi inspected the watch in his hand.

"It's good to go," the he replied.

"O-okay," Asuna said, "then let's go! Now! Push the button!"

"I can't!" he protested. "Kaede isn't here yet!"

**FLAP! FLAP!**

"I-IT'S ABOUT TO TAKE FLIGHT!" Nodoka screamed.

"WE'RE OUT OF TIME!" Haruna demanded. "DO IT!"

"NO! Kaede is-!"

A slight breeze was the only warning of her arrival, as Kaede appeared to Negi's right.

"Right here!" Kaede stated.

"Kaede!" Negi exclaimed in relief

"I'm sorry to keep you waiting," she apologized.

"No, perfect timing!" he stated.

"Phew!" the ninja sighed. Negi turned to face everyone.

"All right, we're all here! Let's go!"

"Everyone hold hands!" Chamo shouted. "Make sure you don't let go!"

They all stood in a semicircle: Yue, Chisame, Ku Fei, Setsuna, Konoka, Negi and Chamo, Asuna, Nodoka, Haruna, and Kaede, from right to left, respectively. Each held the hands of the person next to them. Everyone waited for Negi to activate the Cassiopeia.

After a few seconds, however, they realized they were still at the ruin. They looked to see Negi, who was staring at the Cassiopeia intently.

"Hm?" Chamo asked. "What's up, big bro?" Yue knew what, but she did not answer.

Chisame suddenly remembered the dragon and turned around. Sure enough, the dragon was flying straight towards the group. "H-HEY! It's coming! Coming really fast!"

"Big bro! What are you waiting for? Push the button!"

Instead, Negi squeezed his eyes shut. The dragon flew closer.

"NEGI!"

Finally his eyes snapped open. "Hold on tight! Here we go!"

The dragon swooped downward, its course set, and jaw open. Haruna and Nodoka both screamed in terror.

Negi pressed the button firmly.

**TICK-TOCK-TICK-TOCK-TICK-TOCK-TICK-TOCK**

The group was enveloped in tornadic-like winds, which whisked them away from the ruin, and into the very fabric of time. The roar of the wind was tremendous, threatening to break their handholds with each other..

"Th…is differ…t fr…ore!"Negi yelled something, but Yue could not make it out over the incredible roar of the wind. Then, she saw the two beings emerge, their attacks primed to strike each other. And they happened to be on either sides of the group.

"…ryone,…eep han-!"

The attacks connected, breaking their handholds, and scattering the group. Yue got the worst of it. Not only was she flung from Chisame, Chamo smacked her right in the face, blocking most of her vision. From what she could still see, their surroundings were fast melting into what appeared to be a stadi-

**WHAM! **Yue was suddenly sent towards the ground, giving her a huge face full of dirt as she hit the ground hard. She skidded along the ground for a few yards, before finally coming to a full stop. After a few seconds, she slowly began to get up. When she sat up…

"Mmmnph! Mmh! MMMMPH!

She quickly stood up, reveling a very flat and oxygen-deprived Chamo.

"GAAH! Huff, huff….Aw man! To be dying in my own fantasy…"

_'If he was speaking to Asuna, it would be no fantasy,'_ Yue mused. But she did not show her feelings.

"Hey, Yuecchi," Chamo asked, while taking in their surroundings, "You're a librarian. You ever read of any place that happens to have people frozen in time?"

She looked around. Sure enough, they might as well been in a picture. Everything was frozen stiff. The people in the stands, the…creatures…even the dust from the green creature's impact, were not moving at all.

"It's sometimes used as a plot device, but usually only in time travel fiction," she stated. The bibliomaniac then noticed something else as she picked up her hat. "I'll throw you this one; do you know how we got off without so much as a scratch?" It was true: there was barely a speck of dirt on Chamo's fur, much less an injury. And even though Yue had skidded along the ground, her clothing looked as if it had just come out of the wash.

"Umm...lemmie get back to you on that one," Chamo replied. Yue continued to look around the stadium. There was not even so much as a breeze blowing through the air.

"But how?" she muttered."From where we fell, we shouldn't be standing up by now, maybe not even awake." She paused. "It's as if this is a delusion, and we are not even here."

_**Close enough.**_

Yue snapped her head around, trying to find the source of the childish voice she heard, but it had sounded like had come from every angle. Chamo had heard it too, and was quickly looking as well.

"Who's there?" he called out. "Show yourself!"

_I'm right above you, dummies!_

At the sound of the feminine voice, they looked up, and came face to face with…a levitating pink cat.

_'How cute,'_ Yue thought sarcastically.

_Looks can be deceiving, Miss Ayase._

For the first time since arriving at the stadium, Yue flinched. "H-how do you-?"

_Telepathy. And mind reading. It's only natural for a Psychic Type like me to be able to do such things. _The creature paused, its long tail flicking from side to side._ Then again, you're not from this world, so you wouldn't know that. _This completely befuddled the purplette.

"Wha-?!"

"Hold on a minute, sis," Chamo interrupted. "You can read our minds, communicate through telepathy.. I'll buy that. But from my own experience, anytime a person appears out of nowhere and knows everything about our situation, THEY are the reason that we are in the predicament in the first place! So why don't you start explaining that, miss, ah…?"

_Please, just call me Mew._ She floated down and began flying around Yue. Chamo climbed up on Yue's head to get a better view. _You are right, I am part of the reason you are here. Your detour here, and even your trip into the future, was no accident. We had Palkia send Celebi and Jirachi to you world so that they could create an event that would force you to use the Cassiopeia to jump a week into the past. That was the only way we could get Dialga and Palkia to send you to our world. Any distance of a day or less is much too short a distance for the two to send someone to another dimension. _Both Yue and Chamo seemed to have their eyebrows twitch at this statement.

"So that was you then?" Yue asked accusatively. "That hell we were put through, with the Mahora staff and the dragon...that was all you?" The creature giggled.

_Yes! It was all so fun too! I got to transform into a human! I must say, you are very strange creatures, having no natural defenses and all._ Chamo realized who exactly Mew had transformed into.

"You have NO idea how much some of our friends want to kill you right now, ya know that?" he deadpanned. "No, nevermind...you just made them want to kill Chao more than anything..." Mew giggled, before turning serious again.

_Unfortunately, we were unable to foretell how many people were coming with you. As a result, when you were sent to our world, the sheer size of the group overloaded the portal, and scattered your friends all across our world. We did all we could to minimize possible injury, but you two were dropped into the middle of a Pokemon Tournament. You were struck by a Giga Impact attack and were rendered unconscious._ She noticed Chamo's shocked expression. _Don't worry: you two will live. We made sure of that. Yue's much too important to die._

"Gee, thanks for caring about me so much..." the ermine groaned. Yue took the last statement in some confusion.

"Too important to die?" she repeated. "Why is that?"

Mew stopped circling when she was in front of Yue. She looked her directly in the eye. _It's because you are the Radiant Magi, you dummy!_

Yue was confusion. "...What?"

_It's just as I said: you are the Radiant Magi._

"That's what I don't get," she replied. "What's a Radiant Magi?" Mew paused, slightly stunned.

_You mean you really don't…?_ She floated upward, and turned around. _I see_, she mused. _Palkia was right._ She turned back to face the two. _I guess I owe you guys an explanation._

"Ya got that right, sister!" Chamo interjected. "I happen to be an expert in info gathering, yet never once in my life have I heard any of that gibberish you just said!"

Mew floated downward, back to eye level with Yue but a bit further back. _In our world, there is a prophecy that originates from an archipelago far away from here. It is about our Great Hero, the Chosen One, who will come to save both Pokemon and Humans from a future of darkness and slavery._

All of a sudden, hundreds of black, one-eyed creatures appeared and began to swirl around the three. Yue reached for something in her coat pocket, before the creatures began to form in lines. She realized that the creatures were in the shape of letters, and their lines spelled words:

Disturb not the harmony of Fire, Ice, or Lightning,

Lest these three Titans wreck destruction

Upon the world in which they clash.

Though the water's Great Guardian shall arise to quell the fighting,

Alone its song will fail.

Thus the Earth shall turn to ash.

O, Chosen One,

Into thine hands bring together all three.

Their treasures combined tame,

The beast of the sea.

The creatures then disbanded, floating away until they were behind Yue.

"So, I'm the Chosen One?" Yue asked. But Mew shook her head.

_No. That prophecy has already passed. The Chosen One already lives. Your presence concerns another legend, one that dates back beyond the Legend of the Chosen One. It may very well determine the fate of not only our world, but yours as well._

_Last month, a group of humans – now what did Ho-oh say they were again…? Archaeologists! Yeah, that was it. Anyway, they were uncovering out a new building at the Sinjoh Ruins, when they uncovered part of a different prophecy. It was badly damaged, so the whole message is unknown. But what there was important. VERY important._

The creatures returned to spell out a new phrase:

_O, Radiant Magi,_

_Who shines down thy Brilliance and Marvel,_

_Deliver thy Chosen One from Evil,_

_And train thy Beloved One for the impending Clash,_

_Lest thine worlds shall fall to Ash._

_Send thy humble servants to Everlasting Unity,_

_Before the herald of the False Prophet from the Beginning. _

The creatures then flew away.

_From what we could decipher, we believe that our worlds will experience a great and terrible event in the near future. However, we are not certain what exactly will happen. The rest of the text is too damaged to be reconstructed. We tried to solve the mystery ourselves, but there is a mysterious barrier in place that nullified our abilities._

"Magic?" Chamo asked.

_Perhaps. The barrier is not from a Pokemon attack or ability, no human from this world has ever been born in this world that has the capabilities for that powerful a barrier. Your world, however, has magic that we concluded is the same as that found at the Sinjoh Ruins. Thanks to Celebi, we were able to determine that you were the most likely candidate to be the Radiant Magi. _This confused Yue.

"Candidate?" she repeated. Mew nodded.

_Time Traveling is a risky business. Celebi is not at liberty to say who exactly is the Radiant Magi, only a vague description and location. She did, however, have a wry smile when we reviewed the fourth line. We don't know why. She then began to smile. If you ask me, though, it was - _

She stopped, suddenly having a faraway look. _Are you sure? Can't I just say-?...You're no fun, you know that?...Fine, fine, alright! I won't tell her, jeez. _She looked back at the two. _My time here is finished. You must start your journey now, or the world will be doomed to the fate described in the prophecy._

"Wait, sister! You still have some answers to-!"

_I'll let your new friends give those to you,_ interjected Mew._ They will answer all of your questions as soon as you wake up. _Mew then floated to Yue, circling around her head._ Even those you never knew the question to_, she giggled. _I await our next meeting._

"Mew, wait!" Yue tried to grab Mew, but the pink creature teleported away before getting caught. Then, Chamo disappeared, before the entire stadium, and all its occupants, faded into nothingness.

Well, not really. One person lingered, staying in the darkness that now enveloped Yue. Or was it enveloping her mind? She couldn't decide.

Yue walked up to the teen, who she surmised was running over to where she, Chamo, and the green creature would have crashed. She guessed that he was not much older than she was, maybe even the same age. He had very messy raven-colored hair, tucked under a red and black hat that had a strange blue symbol on the front. He wore a black sweat-tee that had a yellow horizontal stripe over the chest over a white tee shirt. Black fingerless gloves, which ended in green wristbands, were on his hand. Finally, blue jeans and red and black shoes finished his attire.

Yue couldn't help but think how much he resembled an older version of someone she knew.

* * *

"Do you think she's okay?"

"I'm not sure, Dawn. She did receive a nasty collision by Sceptile and Latios, after all."

"Hey Ash, I think she's waking up!"

Yue felt terrible, as if she had been hit by a train (which was not that far from the truth). She slowly opened her eyes, and while her sight was blurry, she could just make out the shapes of three people. One in particular stood out…

"…Pr-Professor…Negi…?" she groggily asked.

"Heh, you must have taken a real blow to the head to mistake me for food," the figure said, then, her vision returned to her, revealing the person in front of her not as Negi, but…

_'The boy in the dream!'_

Yue's eyes went wide with recognition, and quickly sat up, startling the boy, who fell on his rear.

"Hey, take it easy," another male, slightly older, cautioned. He was wearing a orange and grey vest over a green shirt and tan jeans. "You're going to injure yourself if you rush up like that."

Yue noticed that she was in what appeared to be a hospital room. It was a rather easy assumption, since everything was white, she was wearing a hospital gown, and the third person, a young blunette girl wearing a black dress with pink frills and pink boots, was holding a small bouquet of flowers. Right now, though, none of that mattered to her.

"What day is it?" she demanded.

"Um, June 17th, 2002," the older teen responded. "But I don't see why-" Yue suddenly bolted off her bed and rushed out of the room. "Hey, wait!"

"Thanks!" was all she said, as she turned left down the hall.

_'So the Cassiopeia has sent us a whole year back,' she thought. 'That means we should be able to stop Chao in plenty of time. But how are we going to blend in when we are from the future? Negi has the most experience in time-traveling out of all of us, but I'm worried about-'_

She froze when she came to the hospital lobby. Above the entranceway to the lobby hung a map of the local area. She recognized it as Hokkaido, the northern island of Japan. That's not what bothered her.

What bothered her was that she couldn't recognize any of the city names on the map.

Yue made a metal note to begin calling Kotaro by the nickname Toto. If she ever got out of wherever she was right now.

Just then, the automatic doors of the hospital opened, and an small, elderly man, only slightly taller than herself, walked in. He had long white hair that was tied up at the end and ended at his waist. His beard was about the same length as his hair. Strange for his age, he wore a blue baseball cap pulled backwards, a red sweatshirt with blue stripe, and khaki cargo shorts. He wore leather shoes, and his socks went up to his knees. Yue initially mistook him for a homeless man.

He took a few steps in, before seeing Yue. He turned to face her, revealing that he was carrying…a white ball of fur. Yue realized that the ball of fur was Chamo.

"Yuecchi!" She cringed at the sound of her recently-acquired nickname. Chamo jumped out of the man's arms, onto the leg of a passerby, who he climbed up to jump out onto Yue's shoulder. "Man, am I glad to see you? You wouldn't believe what I went through! I had this strange dream about frozen people, and-and a pink cat that could speak with us too! She said something about-"

"-Me being a Radiant Magi," Yue finished.

"Yeah, and then I was-" Chamo stopped. "Wait, how could you have known that?"

"Chamo, I really don't think that that was a dream." The elderly man walked up to them.

"Ah," he said, "you must be the owner of this Pokemon, yes?" His voice reminded Yue of one of those Santa Clauses you see at the mall. "A very strange creature, I must say!" he chuckled.

"I'm sorry to ask, but what is a Pokemon?" Yue replied.

"Hm? Surely you must be joking, right?" Yue could only shake his head. At that time, the two boys from before ran in. "Ah, Ash! Brock! It's good to see you again!"

"Mr. Goodshow!" they both said in unison. The blunette then raced in, panting heavily, and put her hands on her knees.

"Can't...you guys...wait up...for once?" she wheezed. "It's not...like...we know...the person!"

"Yeah, but I feel bad that it was during my battle that this happened to her," the younger boy replied. Mr. Goodshow suddenly had an idea.

"Hey Ash, I've been meaning to ask you something," he stated. "Do you mind if we talk about it over lunch.?"

"Not at all," the raven haired teen replied.

"You're invited as well," the old man said to Yue. "I expect you to be starving after sleeping for several hours. I can also answer any questions that you have about where you are, since you seem a little confused right now."

"Sure," she replied. Mr. Goodshow smiled.

"Great!" he replied. "Consider it my treat then. We can eat in the hospital cafeteria." As everyone headed to the cafeteria, Yue and Chamo began discussing what to do.

"That old man didn't question the fact that I can talk," Chamo explained to her," so I think they know at least some form of magic. It should be safe to speak about magic around here."

"I agree," Yue stated. However, I think it's best not to discuss that vision we had, though."

"Are you sure?" the ermine replied. "These people seem really nice; they could give us information on that Mew creature."

"It's probably for the best that we get as few people involved as possible."

* * *

"So, lemmie get this straight," Chamo said, finishing the last of his macaroni. "In this world, there are creatures called Pokemon, who live alongside you humans. Some humans capture the Pokemon into an object called a Pokeball, which can blatantly defy our laws of physics. These humans are called Trainers, and they battle there Pokemon against each other in competition. Then there are Coordinators, who compete in Contests, which are sort of like beauty pageants and battles mixed together. And finally, there are those who do neither, and keep Pokemon as pets, but are treated more as equals. Regardless, there is always peace between humans and Pokemon."

"Exactly," said the older boy, who Chamo and Yue found out was Brock. He gave his leftover mashed potatoes to the younger boy, named Ash, who began devouring them. "And you come from a world where some people are born with magical abilities, many of which are similar to Pokemon. Furthermore, they can create contracts to other people in order to aid them in bringing peace to the world behind the scenes."

"Well, this was a very productive dinner conversation, if I may say so myself," Mr. Goodshow chuckled.

"Say, Mr. Goodshow?" the blunette, Dawn, asked. "It's nice that you treated us to dinner and all, but how do you know our names?"

"Ash and Brock are former torch runners for the various conferences around the region. And I also keep tabs on the contest circuits, too. You had a wonderful run to the Grand Festival finals, I might add."

"Oh, please!" she said, suddenly embarrassed. "Don't give me all the credit!"

"Now Ash," he began, as the raven haired teen had finally finished his face stuffing, "a few days ago, -"

"**I wanna be, the very best, like no one ever was!"**

"Oh dear," Mr. Goodshow groaned, and reached into his pocket for his cell phone. "Excuse me for just a second."

"**To catch them is my real-"**

**Click!**

"Charles here…Oh! Good evening, Mr. President! And to what do…?"As Mr Goodshow took the call, the four kids (and one ermine) continued asking questions about each other's world.

"Are you serious about mandatory schooling for kids in your world?" Ash wondered.

"Yes," Yue replied, sipping the last of her Iapapa Berry juice. "In Japan, it's law for anyone under eighteen to go to school from April to March. Even after that, most people continue to college, as most jobs require specialized knowledge. I'm amazed how your world functions without such a system."

"Pokemon training is fun," Brock stated, "but also involves a lot of dedication and hard work. Most of the corporate workers are those who couldn't make it in the league competitions. The rest are those who show no interest in Pokemon battles or contests, or are former trainers who still wanted to contribute more to society after retirement."

"Some places are mostly made up of retired trainers though," Dawn added, "right Brock?"

"Of course," the spikey-haired brunette replied. "The Fashion industry includes many former coordinators, and the battle officiators are all former-" Before Brock could finish his thought, he was interrupted by Mr. Goodshow's phone call.

"What?! Are you serious?! But the Conference is still-!…I know…Alright. But I'm only suspending it, so you better be quick!…Give my regards to the Misses….Bye." The phone snapped shut. "That was the President of Sinnoh. He just called me to say that he is launching a full investigation on Yue and Chamo's sudden appearance." Brock looked horrified.

"But Mr. Goodshow, we are still in the middle of the Sinnoh League Conference! If he launches an investigation now…!" Mr. Goodshow nodded solemnly.

"I'm afraid so, Brock. As per League policy, The Lily of the Valley Sinnoh League Conference is now suspended until further notice, and all participants are withheld from participating in any league events until the conclusion of the investigation. I'm sorry Ash," he said, looking at the shocked look on his face, "but this is out of my hands now."

"And at the semi-finals too…" he said dejectedly.

"Bummer," Chamo agreed.

"That doesn't prevent you from competing in non-league events, though," Mr. Goodshow said.

"Huh?" Ash stated, confused.

"What do you mean?" Dawn wondered.

"Even though the Pokemon League regulates general conduct for Pokemon battles," Mr. Goodshow explained, "the only events we host are the regional conferences. I recently got a call from Scott of the Battle Frontier, which is not under our jurisdiction. He sounded excited, and said that he was about to launch something big in the next few days. However, he's been stuck for the past several days in Pewter City because of heavy rains in the area. They're nowhere near finished repairing the roads yet, and he's not one to walk between towns, so you could be able to catch up to him if you take the ship that leaves for Cerulean in two hours."

Ash brightened up immediately. "Really! You think so?" Mr. Goodshow nodded. "Alright, c'mon guys, let's go!" And before anyone could stop him, he ran off to the exit.

"Ash, wait up!" called Dawn, and hurried off behind. Brock and Mr. Goodshow just laughed, with the former reaching for the empty trays of food. [Dawn: The Pookemon Center is to the left Ash! Not that way!] But Mr. Goodshow shook his head.

"I'll take these. You three catch up to Ash before he goes to the wrong ship."

"Hold on, bro. Three?" Chamo asked.

"Curiously, you two both have a clean bill of health, so you can leave the hospital today. Or would you rather stay here and answer questions to government officials?"

"…"

"I thought as much. You already gave me enough information to keep the government agents from hounding you, so I can tell them everything they need to know." He gave Yue a shopping bag. "Here are your clothes. They are a bit worn from the impact with the ground, but they should do just fine. There's a changing room down the hall."

"Thank you," Yue said, before turning to Brock. "Is it alright?"

"Of course," Brock replied "As Ash says 'The more, the merrier.' Thanks for everything Mr. Goodshow."

"The pleasure's all mine. Good luck on finding your friends."

* * *

Saying that Yue's clothing was a bit worn was a severe understatement. Her shorts looked like Swiss cheese, and her shirt was so badly damaged at the waist that Yue had to cut the bottom off with a scissor that happened to be left in the room, creating a tank top that revealed a good deal of stomach. The mere thought of having to travel looking like this was appalling to her, so, stepping aside into a quiet part of the hospital, she activated her pactio card, which brought out her hat and robe. Yue put on the hat, then buttoned up the robe, covering up the remains of her clothing in the process. She then walked out of the room, said one last goodbye and thanks to Ms. Goodshow, and proceeded with Brock to…um…er…

"So…uh, where exactly are we headed, Brocko?" Chamo asked for her.

"Right here," Brock pointed out a large circular building with a red roof. "The Pokemon Center is a trainer's hotel, healing center, and cafeteria, all wrapped up in one." They entered the building. "I'm going to head over and check on Ash and Dawn at the trainer's village. Yue, can you do me a favor and tell Nurse Joy to get our Pokemon?"

"Sure."

"Great!" the Breeder stated. "Just tell her my name, and she'll understand. I'll be back in a second." And Brock left in a great deal of hurry.

Yue entered the Pokemon Center. It was much bigger than it had appeared to her on the outside. The lobby area, shaped in a massive semi-circle, was filled with trainers, many of whom were watching a speech on the video boards to either side of the reception desk, where a young red-haired nurse was seated. She had a nurse's cap on her head, which had a blue cross on the front, and wore a pink blouse and white apron. Yue walked up to her.

"Excuse me, are you Nurse Joy?" she asked.

"Why yes, and welcome to the Pokemon Center!" the woman stated cheerfully. "How may I help you?"

"Brock told me to pick up his Pokemon, as well as Ash's and Dawn's."

"Sure. Give me a few minutes, and I'll be right back." She disappeared into a back room. Yue then took a peek at the video monitors to the right of the desk, and saw Ash and Dawn chatting away at what appeared to be a videophone. Yue walked over to see what was going on. They were chatting with an older man in a lab coat and red golf shirt. He had grey hair, and seemed to give off some sort of aura, even through the videophone.

"…So I'll be returning back to Pallet town in a few days."

_"That's wonderful, my boy! Just don't feel too bad about….oh? Hello!"_ He spotted Yue. _You seem to have somebody dropping in on the conversation behind you!"_

Ash and Dawn turned and noticed Yue. "Oh, Yue!" Dawn exclaimed, and motioned to her to come over, which she did.

"Yue," Ash introduced, "This is Professor Oak, my friend and the leading authority on Pokemon behavior. Professor, this is Yue, the girl I was telling you about."

"A pleasure to meet you," she said. Chamo just watched from Yue's hat; it was his policy not to speak to strangers, even if they were friends of people they knew.'

_"So you're the 'fallen angel' that Ash couldn't stop talking about,"_ Oak said. Yue and Ash both went flush red. Chamo snickered. _"Well, if you ask me, you look right for Halloween, but that's only if you're from around here. I'm not sure how they dress where you come from."_

"So Ash told you already?" she asked, suddenly feeling slightly uneasy. Oak nodded.

_"Don't worry, I've kept bigger secrets before, believe me."_ He then spotted the ermine. _"And you must be Chamo, the weasel that Dawn told me about!"_

Chamo suddenly got cross. "A weasel? Are you pulling my tail or something'? I'm a freakin' ermine, ya hear me, AN ERMINE!"

"I thought you were not supposed to speak with strangers," Yue deadpanned matter-of-factly.

"Gah…ah….gee…AHH BABABABA!" Oak laughed at the scene.

_"As Ash already told you, I'm Professor Oak. I study and take care of trainer's Pokemon. I've been keeping tabs on what happened, and I must ask you two, what are you going to do? You just can't wander around the world of Pokemon aimlessly looking for your friends, that's for sure."_ Yue nodded.

"I'm going to travel with Ash, and see who I find along the way," she stated.

_"Oh?"_

"You are?" said Ash and Dawn. This was news to them.

"Brock said it would be fine." Yue said. She then turned to Ash, "Or are you afraid of traveling with two girls?" she smirked. Ash smiled.

"Are you kidding? The more the merrier, I always say!"

_"Good, good!"_ Oak smiled. _"I've got to go now Ash. It's almost dinnertime, and the Pokemon don't want to have that delayed."_ He chuckled, then turned to his left. _"I didn't say it's time to eat now, so wait until I'm off the pho-o-O-WARGH!"_

**CRASH!**

A giant blob of purple sludge had appeared from the right side of the screen and tackled Oak, sending him to the ground, out of sight from the videophone. All that could be heard were a few joyful "Muk"s, and a frantic _"Professor!"_ before the screen went blank. Needless to say, the four were quite stunned.

"…What…was…THAT?" asked Chamo incredulously.

"That was Muk," sighed Ash.

**"*DING, DONG* WILL ASH, DAWN, AND BROCK PLEASE COME TO THE RECEPTION DESK TO PICK UP THEIR POKEMON."**

"That's us." As they turned to head towards the desk, they spotted Brock…on one knee, presenting Nurse Joy with a grand bouquet of flowers.

"My dear Nurse Joy!" he exclaimed rather romantically. It is with extreme pity that I, Brock, must say with a heavy heart that I am leaving for Kanto. But fear not! For with this bouquet of flowers I pledge to one day return and-GAAAH!"

A quick flash of light was the only warning that a blue and white frog appeared and jabbed Bock in the gut with a glowing purple hand.

"O-o-r…you…can c-come visit m-m-me…" Brock whimpered before collapsing. The frog then took hold of Brock's arm, and despite its diminutive size, proceeded to drag him towards the video monitors, all the while croaking to the pace of its continuously inflating and deflating orange cheeks. It was quite a scene, gaining stares from almost everyone in the room.

"Don't even ask." Dawn told Yue and Chamo, and continued walking. The two snuck a look back before turning to follow Ash and Dawn.

"We're here to pick up our Pokemon," Ash told Nurse Joy.

"Here you go!" she stated, and placed three trays on top of the counter. One tray had three red and white spherical objects, which Ash had earlier told the two were Pokeballs. The second tray held six Pokeballs, and the third held five…plus one rather large yellow mouse, no taller than Chamo, with a lightning bolt-shaped tail and red cheeks. Three brown stripes were on its back, and the tips of its ears were black. This was nothing like any creature that the two had ever seen before. At least some frogs were blue.

"THAT'S a Pokemon?" Chamo said incredulously. "It looks more like an overgrown sewer rat ta me." But he said the last part to himself.

"Yue, Chamo," Ash introduced, "this is Pikachu, my first Pokemon, and my longtime buddy."

"Pika, pikachu!" the creature squealed. Yue smiled slightly at the sight of the cute creature. Chamo hopped off of her shoulder and sized up the rodent intently.

Pikachu offered his paw to Chamo, who grasped it as to shake it…

"Pi...ka...CHUUU!" …and promptly got zapped. Guess Chamo didn't speak softly enough.

"…Mummy…" he weakly coughed, before collapsing. After quickly scolding Pikachu, Ash clipped on the other five Pokeballs to his trainer's belt, while Dawn took her six into her bag. Brock then came over (startling Yue in the process) looking much better than before, and took the last three, clipping them to his belt. He then noticed Chamo, who was twitching rather uncontrollably.

"What happened to Chamo?" he asked.

"Found out the hearing range of a Pokemon," Yue answered. "Are we all set to go?"

"Yep, all checked out, and ready to go."

"Then what are we waiting for!" Ash said. "It's off to Kanto!" He then raced out of the center, leaving the others behind. He hadn't even give Pikachu time to hop on his shoulder.

"Ash!" Dawn yelled. "The dock's to the right! You're heading back to the hospital!" She chased off after him.

"Here we go again." Brock chuckled, and ran off behind them. Yue looked at Pikachu, who scurried onto her right shoulder. She then quickly grabbed the charbroiled Chamo and hurried right after them.

"This is going to be one heck of a journey," she thought, smirking.

**To Be Continued...**


	3. Epic Haruna

_So now we turn away slightly from the main characters to focus in on our favorite rival and manga artist. Please enjoy this break from the main story._

_**EDIT 6/30/14**: General cleanup_

* * *

**Chapter III: Epic Haruna**

We now shift our focus away from our heroes, and into the rugged mountains of Sinnoh, where we find Ash's onetime rival Gary Oak nearing the summit of a small mountain. He had spiky brown hair (not as bad a Brock's), and wore a black collared shirt, purple cargo pants, and purple wristbands. He carried his supplies in a dark purple backpack.

It had been a very long and dangerous day in the field for Gary. His clothing was filthy and wrinkled, and sweat cascaded down his forehead.

When he reached the summit, he took out a pair of binoculars and began to scan the landscape below him, which was teeming with Pokemon of all kinds.

"Hmmm….No sign of the hunters," he thought aloud. "They must have retreated for now, probably to regroup for another strike." Gary reached for a radio…..

**TICK-TOCK-TICK-TOCK-TICK-TOCK-TICK-TOCK-TICK-TOCK**

**THUD!**

…but was forced to the ground when something big, soft, and, most importantly, heavy, object fell on him, sending him to a meet-and-greet with dirt. Gary recovered his senses to find that he had been squashed by….a teenager?

_'What the heck?' _the trainer thought in shock.

"Ow-w-w," the girl groaned, and began to feel around for her glasses. She found them in a dead patch of grass. Putting on her glasses, she realized that what she thought was grass was actually Gary's hair! "Wah!" She quickly leapt up, allowing him to stand. "I'm so sorry!"

Gary slowly got up, then looked at the girl. "Okay, who are you?" he asked. "Don't you know this area's off limits to the general public?"

The girl looked confused. "It is? Why?"

"I'm sorry, but I'm not at liberty to tell you." As soon as he said this, he jumped back as the girl became excited, moving right into his face.

"Ooh!" she exclaimed. "A secret! What is it! What is it! I promise I won't tell! Please?"

"No!" Gary stated with defiance, pushing the girl a bit away from him. "You have to leave now, or I'll personally take you out of the area." This got the girl cross.

"Hey, that's no way to treat a girl!" she protested. "I don't know how exactly I got here, so how could I know the way down?"

"I'm sorry," Gary replied, "but orders are-"

"I just happened to have been attacked by strange creatures recently, you know," the girl continued. "Maybe they are related to whatever you are guarding."

"Even so," Gary continued, "I must still-"

"Oh, hush!" she interrupted. "You can trust someone like me, right?"

"Are you even paying atten-!" Gary tried, but was once again cut off.

"Excuse me, kid, but I already told you: I don't know where I am, or how I got here, so no, I couldn't have possibly known that this is a restricted area!" she explained, also clearly exasperated. "There, happy?" Instead of satisfying him, it made Gary's patience wear thinner.

"Kid?!" he restated. "I'm fifteen years old, mind you!" The girl sized him up. She was well over a head taller than Gary.

"Really?" She asked suspiciously, a teasing grin on her face. "You look more like a grade schooler to me."

"OK, stop toying with me, tell me!" he demanded, pointing an accusing finger at the girl. "Are you a Pokemon Hunter or not?" The girl's face fell, and she stared right into Gary's eyes.

"…What's a Pokemon?" she asked.

Gary finally snapped. "Alright, THAT'S IT! I'm gonna show you what happens when you screw around with THE Gary Oak, you Hunter!" He reached to his belt, pulled out a Pokeball, and held it forward, pointing it at the alleged Pokemon Hunter, who was now beginning to panic.

"H-hold on a sec!" she replied. "I'm not a-!"

"No more playing dumb!" he yelled, and threw the Pokeball into the air. "Blastoise, GO!"

The Pokeball spun several times in the air. When it reached the apex of its flight, it opened, and a brilliant flash of white light shot out towards the ground. It materialized into a five foot tall bipedal turtle that had blue skin and a brown shell.

"Blastoise!" the creature growled.

"Hydro Pump!"

Suddenly, parts of Blastoise's shell moved to reveal two large grey cannons, which were pointed right at the girl. She just managed to duck out of the way of twin blasts of water, powerful enough to turn a tree on a nearby mountain into a pile of tinder and leaves.

"W-wow!" She exclaimed, sweatdropping at the power of the attack. "That is one powerful – WAAH!"' She dodged a glowing fist and began to back up, reaching for something in her pocket. But the girl tripped over a loose rock, sending her to the ground. A card flew out of her pocket. It lazily floated in the air before stopping at Gary's feet. The girl began to get up, but it was too late. Blastoise towered over her, a blue beam of energy forming in its mouth. The girl shut her eyes, and braced for the impact.

"Blastoise, stop!" ordered Gary.

The girl took a peek at the Turtle Pokemon. It no longer had an energy ball in its mouth, and was now staring at its trainer.

Gary was holding the card that had fallen out of the girl's pocket, studying it intently. He then looked at the girl. "I'm sorry for all of this, Haruna, is it?" he apologized, checking back at the card to make sure he got her name right.

"Y-yes," the girl replied.

"We've been experiencing a large increase of Pokemon Hunters in the area," Gary explained, "so I didn't know if you were a decoy so that the Hunters could be distracted or captured. But from my experiences," he walked up and returned Haruna's card, "Hunters don't leave calling cards behind. Nor do they dress as simple as you do."

He was right: Haruna was wearing a black one piece sleeveless dress (which had a rather short skirt), white shoes, and black socks that ended below the ankle. Her green hair, instead of being a short cut like most female Hunters, reached down to her ankles, except for two strands that stuck up like an antenna. Most importantly, however, was the absence of a Pokemon Belt. Even a Hunter who did wear something similar to what Haruna had on would have great trouble carrying her Pokemon around without a belt.

"I can take you down to base camp," Gary offered. "There, I can arrange to take you to a nearby town."

"So, does that mean you are going to tell me what is going on here?" Haruna asked.

"You seem like someone that can be trusted," the brunette stated. "I'll fill you in as we head back to base camp. Just promise me that you will tell me how you ended up falling out of the sky." With that, he began to head down the wooded trail that lead down the mountain. Haruna eagerly followed behind him.

* * *

Yue was walking down to the ship's restaurant with Ash, Brock, Pikachu, and Chamo, when she suddenly stopped.

"Pika?" Pikachu wondered. This got Ash and Brock's attention.

"Something wrong?" Ash asked.

"I have this strange feeling that someone is about to tell my friend Paru a secret," she said.

"That's nothing to be worried about unless it's about you, right?" Ash stated. Chamo begged to differ.

"You have no idea how much we had to pay her NOT to blab the existence of magic to all of Mahora," he deadpanned. "Let's hope it's nothing big." Yue shook her head.

"Knowing Haruna, Chamo, it wouldn't be a small secret," she replied.

* * *

Gary and Haruna were over halfway down the mountain. It was starting to get dark, and he was explaining the world of Pokemon to her. Suddenly, Gary remembered something that the girl had said earlier. "Hold on. Didn't you say that you were attacked by some creatures?"

"Yes!" She replied. "I couldn't get a good look at them, but one wa blue and grey with a big flat head, and the other was white and purple with a snakehead."

Gary took out a red handheld device, and pressed a few buttons. "Are these what you saw?" he asked, giving the device to Haruna.

"Yes!" she replied. "Those two exactly!"

"Those are the legendary Pokemon Dialga and Palkia," Gary explained. "Dialga has control over time, while Palkia is the master of space. If your story actually held water, then you would be in deep trouble about getting back home."

Haruna suddenly looked annoyed. "You mean to tell me that after all this time, after I told you EVERYTHING that happened since I became aware of magic, you don't believe me?"

"Hey, when you get hit with a big story like that with no proof…" he admitted. "...there's a point when a story becomes a tall tale, and your's is as big as a Groudon!"

"I have proof! Here!" Haruna produced the card. Gary had found earlier. It had Haruna striking a pose, while wearing an apron over school clothes and a beret. She also had a quill and a sketchbook in her hands. Gary began snickering.

"What's so funny?" demanded Haruna.

"Haruna, I hardly find an artist's business card as being a magical item," he snickered.

"I'll prove it!" she snapped, snatching the card out of Gary's hands. "Ad-!"

"**Hey, Gary!"**

The two stopped their quarrel, and realized that they had just wandered into base camp. Several small tents surrounded a much larger tent in the center. Researchers were bustling back and forth between the tents, with most stopping at the main tent. The one who had just called to the two had messy brown hair, a noticeable shadow, and wore a blue t-shirt and cargo shorts underneath his lab coat.

"How goes the patrols?" the man asked.

"No sign of any Hunters, Professor," he replied, walking over to him." I reckon that they are regrouping for a big attack." He shook the man's hand, who then spotted Haruna.

"Oh?" he stated. "I didn't know that you could pick up a date in the forest. If I knew that, I'd spend more time on patrols than here at base!"

"Very funny, Professor," Gary chuckled. "This is Haruna Saotome. She…well…kinda dropped in on my patrol. She is one heck of a storyteller, though." This got her peeved once again.

"Hey!" she huffed. "I may be a manga artist, but I can't change what I saw."

"For the last time, mages do not exist!" the brunette stated. "You probably just fell out of that tree on the summit, and got amnesia when you broke my back!."

"If I had amnesia, then I wouldn't even be able to make any of that up!"

"Ha! So you did make it up!"

"No, I-!"

"Alright, alright, settle down, you two!" the Professor interrupted. "No time for a lover's spat here!" The two slightly blushed, and stopped their bickering.

"Sorry," Gary said. "Anyway, Haruna, this is Professor Birch, the leading expert on Pokemon habitats."

"Nice to meet you," Haruna bowed.

"Same here," Professor Birch replied. "Welcome to base camp. I can't say that the amenities here are that of a five-star restaurant, though, but make yourself comfortable."

"It's okay, considering what I've just been through in the past few hours," Haruna replied.

"Hate to break the introductions Professor," Gary interrupted, "but how's Zapdos?"

"Zapdos?" Haruna wondered.

"It's doing just fine," Birch replied. "It won't be able to fly for another two weeks, but it has a stable condition." He looked at Haruna. "Would you like to see?"

"Sure!" She replied.

"Alright then, follow me." Professor Birch headed in first, followed by Gary, then Haruna, who had fist pumped when the others hadn't been looking. When she entered…

"Woah!" she gasped. Right in front of her was a giant bird, which had spiky yellow and black wings, and a large pointed nose. The bird was stretched out, filling most of the tent. It looked very weak, and researchers were tending to its needs.

"This is Zapdos," Gary told Haruna.

"I've never seen a bird this large before in my life!" She exclaimed. "But why is it injured?"

"Zapdos are rare and powerful creatures," Prof. Birch began. "Whenever there is word of someone seeing the creature, it attracts trainers from around the world, all trying to see if they can capture Legendary Bird of Lightning. Some of these people are Champions and Masters who want Zapdos to be a key component of their team, battling alongside them to be the very best. Most, unfortunately, only want Zapdos so that they can then sell it to the highest bidder. We call these people Pokemon Hunters."

"I was traveling through this area on my way to Snowpoint City," Gary explained, "when I saw Zapdos falling to the ground. A Pokemon Hunter had injured its wing in order to make it helpless to capture. I managed to drive the Hunter away before he could do so, but Zapdos couldn't just fly away with a lame wing. I contacted Professor Rowan, the expert in Pokemon in the region, in order to organize a research team to nurse Zapdos back to health."

"It hasn't been easy," Birch continued. "We've been under almost constant attack by Hunters already in the area. We fear that they are preparing to band together in order to take Zapdos once and for all, so I was called in to try and help the situation, but right now it's out of my control. Gary's the only one who has the power to drive them back at the moment, so the Pokemon League is sending a member of the Elite Four tomorrow to bolster our strength.

"What I am concerned most about, though, is the safety of all the Pokemon in the area." Birch looked outside the tent, Haruna following his gaze. It was then she noticed that the immediate area around them had been scorched, uprooted, and downright destroyed. She had been so engrossed in her argument with Gary that she had completely overlooked it.

"Th-this was caused by only one Hunter?!" she gasped, not believing what she saw.

"Over a period of successive attacks," Birch answered, "but with only one hunter involved. If one of the Hunters can do that, imagine what the whole lot of them can do. Add in the fact that they will obviously fight over the exclusive rights to Zapdos once they take it…"

"…Then the wild Pokemon will have no place to live," Haruna finished. Birch nodded sadly.

"Even an Elite Four member will not stop their constant attacks. If only we had someone who is powerful enough to strike fear into their minds…" He trailed off, lost in thought and despair. Even Haruna, whose creative mind can produce entire arcs of her manga in mere seconds, couldn't think of anything.

Then, she remembered something that Yue had said about Negi's goal.

'_A Magister Magi travels around the world with his Minister Magi, helping any person in distress that he or she may find_.'

'_I'm one of Negi's Minister Magi!_' Haruna thought. '_And since the Probationary Contract lends me some of his powers…_' She fingered something in her pocket.

"Let me help!" she blurted out.

"Eh?" Birch had been caught off guard.

"I have an idea that can scare them off once and for all," she stated. "And it's one hundred percent foolproof!"

"Are you out of your mind?" scoffed Gary. "You didn't even know what a Pokemon was until a few minutes ago! How could you think of something that-"

"**Pooch-y!"**

A small grey and black dog suddenly caught their attention as it wandered into the tent. It was badly beaten up, and staggered to the feet of Professor Birch before collapsing.

"Poochyena!" Prof. Birch exclaimed, bending down to pick it up. "What happened to you?"

"Poo…chy…"

"Professor!" Gary shouted.

**!BOOM!**

Gary's warning came too late, as a smoke bomb suddenly went off inside the tent. No one could see properly as they began to cough violently.

"Everyone!" Prof. Birch ordered. "Out of the tent, quickly! And prepare for a fight!"

He was right. As they ran out of the tent, they came face to face with a whole army of people, Pokemon, and machines that surrounded their encampment. One of the people stepped forward. She was wearing a black trench coat that had a silver device on the right arm. Her short silver hair accentuated her icy blue eyes and her cold stare. She was riding a blue and red dragon, whose wings looked like axe blades.

"Hunter J!" Professor Birch scowled.

"Well, well, Professor," Hunter J said. "Thank you for taking good care of Zapdos for us. Now, though, it's time to call back the loan." Then she spotted Gary. "You again!"

"What are you even doing here?" Gary questioned. "Last I saw, you were heading down to the bottom of Lake Valor!"

"That is none of your concern," she stated, brushing off Gary's question. "Now, will you be so kind as to surrender the Zapdos to us; otherwise, we'll have to use force."

"You know the answer to that, you witch!" he countered, and went into the windup. "Blastoise, Ice Beam!"

"Hmph!" the Pokemon Hunter scoffed. "Salamence, Hyper Beam!"

Blastoise emerged and shot forth an Ice Beam at the dragon, who reared its head back and shot an orange beam of energy. The two collided, sending a massive shockwave in all directions. J managed to brace herself, but everyone else was knocked over by the blast. Gary's Pokedex bounced onto the ground and clattered to a stop. Gary went to retrieve it, but Haruna snatched it away before he could.

"Hey!" Gary exclaimed. Give that back!"

"I need it to chase the bad guys away!" she hollered. "Hold them back for a few minutes!" She disappeared back into Zapdos's tent.

"What on earth are you-!" He tried to chase after her, but he caught a glimpse of several flashes behind him. Remembering that he was the only one who could even stand a chance against the hunters, he rushed back into battle, grasping two Pokeballs in each of his hands.

"Arcanine, Umbreon, Scizor, Electivire! Come out now!"

A large orange and black striped canine creature popped out of the first Pokeball, its cream mane glistening in the evening light. Next to it, a sleek black feline appeared. It was much smaller than Arcanine, and had several pulsating yellow rings on its body. A red and black mantis-like creature formed out of the third Pokeball. It smacked its claws together before its wings buzzed to life, enabling it to take flight. Finally, a yellow and black striped creature emerged. It had two black tails that ended in a red dot, like jumper cables.

"Arcanine, Fire Blast! Umbreon, Shadow Ball! Scizor, Metal Claw! Electivire, Thunderpunch!"

Arcanine reared his head back, and thrust its mouth open, unleashing a five-pointed symbol of fire. At the same time, Umbreon leapt into the air, formed a ball of purple energy, and sent it forward. The two attacks combined, multiplying their powers. The attack struck a four-armed humanoid creature, which fell back onto two hunters.

Scizor's claws glowed a metallic silver, before the Pincer Pokemon charged at a swarm of flying Pokemon. One by one, they began to rain down onto the battlefield, causing havoc as both trainers and Pokemon alike scrambled to get out of the way.

While those three attacked the Pokemon of the other hunters, Electivire went after the head of the movement. Using his tails, the Thunderbolt Pokemon leapt into the air, straight at Hunter J. It cocked its right fist back, which began to cackle with electricity, and thrust it forward, bringing it down onto…

…a shield which protected J from the attack.

"Salamence, Flamethrower," the Pokemon Hunter ordered. The dragon reared its head back, and opened its mouth, unleashing a torrent of flames. Electivire, who had stumbled backwards after being repelled by the barrier, was defenseless against the Flamethrower. The Thunderbolt Pokemon screamed in agony for several seconds before the Salamence ceased its attack.

J pointed her right arm forward, the one with the silver device. "You may not be a Legendary Pokemon," she stated, "but a Pokemon trained by one of the great Oaks should earn me some profit on the side." She pressed a button on the machine, which shot an energy beam at Electivire. The instant that it hit, the Thunderbolt Pokemon turned into a solid bronze statue.

"No, Electivire!" Gary tried to run to his Pokemon's side, but he suddenly became wrapped in a silk web that had been produced by a rather large crimson and black spider.

J smirked. "Ariados seems a bit attached to you, wouldn't you agree?" Gary growled, but he was in no position to do anything. Not far away, Prof. Birch and the other researchers lye on the ground, tied up in Ariados's web as well. Only Gary's Pokemon remained fighting; the other researcher's Pokemon were either already knocked out or too exhausted from previous skirmishes to help out.

A green metal platform flew down to the frozen Pokemon, sliding under its feet. It then produced a glass container, which completely enveloped the Pokemon. Electivire had been caught.

"You won't get away with this!" Gary shouted. However, with each passing moment, Gary's remaining Pokemon were falling back, and it was only a matter of time before they too were felled and captured. J calmly walked past the researchers, heading to the main tent, and Zapdos.

'_Finally_,' she thought, smiling. _'Now it's time to claim the grand prize_.' But as she stepped into the tent…

"What in the-?!"

Gary only had time to turn around before the tent quickly rose, revealing two massive Pokemon that Gary quickly identified as…Dialga and Palkia?

"Holy...!" he exclaimed. Everyone stopped what they had been doing at the sight of the two legendary Pokemon. J had stumbled out of the way of the creatures, and saw what she were looking for: Zapdos. Unfortunately for her, it was right behind Dialga and Palkia. Who were both giving her very menacing glares.

Palkia swooped downward, its claw a bright pink, and slashed at J. While the barrier held, the force sent her flying backwards into another tent. Dialga, in the meantime, launched a blue ball of energy at the Hunters. Half of them got out of the way, while the others were blasted into the evening sky, quickly fading into the distance until they could no longer be seen. Within seconds, the tide of the battle had quickly turned against the Hunters.

Gary caught sight of two of the Hunter grabbing Electvire's case. "No you don't! Umbreon, Quick Attack!"

The Moonlight Pokemon had been across the field from where Electivire was, battling a Rhydon. Within seconds, he had escaped that battle (The Rhydon tried to give chase, but was quickly knocked out by one of Palkia's attacks), and had tackled one of the Hunters. The other Hunter quickly let go of the case, as it was too heavy to be carried by one person.

J gritted her teeth in disgust. She knew that it was now impossible to steal even a simple Magikarp from a stream with those two legendaries now involved. She returned her Ariados to its Pokeball, scrambled onto Salamence (who was trying to evade Dialga), and made a hasty exit. With no other visible leader, and two powerful legendary Pokemon as their opponents, the few remaining Hunters quickly surrendered.

Gary sighed in relief, before turning to the two legendaries. "Thank you for helping us-huh?!" The two legendaries had turned to face him, but instead of their normal faces, they had round and fat eyes, with an airy looks to them. If they were paintings, Leonardo Da Vinci had painted the bodies, and had allowed Charles Shultz to draw their faces.

"You're welcome," a voice replied from the tent, which belonged to Haruna. She walked to Gary. He noticed that in addition to her normal clothing, she was now wearing a cream colored apron, and a red beret with a feather attached to its left side. She held a quill in her left hand, and a sketchbook was situated between her forearm and her body. For some reason, this attire reminded Gary of something he saw earlier, but he couldn't remember. While he was staring at her, trying to remember exactly what it was, Haruna believed that he was thinking something entirely different.

"Hey, I know that they're big and all, but can you spare them a few seconds to turn around so I can free you?" she asked. Gary went as red as his Scizor and quickly turned his back to her, gaining a few chuckles from the other researchers. Using her quill, Haruna cut the silk away, freeing Gary. He immediately rushed over to the glass container containing Electivire. He turned a knob that was on the front all the way to the left, which not only lowered the glass container into the platform, but also dissolved the bronze luster that trapped Electivire.

"Electivire! You're not hurt, are you?" The Thunderbolt Pokemon shook his head.

"E-lect," the Pokemon replied

"Good. Now let's go free the others. Use your Fire Punch to cut the silk!

Electivire's walked up to Professor Birch, and his right fist became engulfed in flames. Instead of punching the professor, however, the Pokemon simply held a finger over the silk, and moving it downwards, which ignited the silk in a straight line, freeing the professor. Over the next five minutes, Electivire and Haruna proceeded to free all of the researchers from Ariados's web. All the while, the Deities of Space and Time simply gave everyone a stare that a Slowpoke would be proud of. If a Slowpoke remembered it had pride, that is.

Once this was done, Gary remembered something. "Hey! You still have my Pokedex!"

"Here," she said, tossing over the device. "Abeat!"

Haruna became engulfed in a flash of light that forced Gary to cover his eyes. When his vision recovered, he saw that the apron, sketchbook, quill, and beret were all absent. Also missing were Dialga and Palkia, who had melted into the ground the moment of the flash.

Gary noticed something in between the fingers of her hand. It was the card that he had picked up when he had first met her. Instantly, Gary realized why her attire was so familiar: it was the same clothing as on the card.

Haruna smirked. "So, do you believe me now?"

* * *

Yue fiddled with the red device that Ash had called a Pokedex like a kid with a portable gaming system; she couldn't put it down. Except to drink her Razz Berry juice. It contained the data of nearly five hundred different Pokemon species. Yue was fascinated with all of the detailed information that the Pokedex had to offer her. For example, she could not believe that, with the right move, a flying-type Pokemon the size of a Pidgey or a Murkrow could carry a human across an entire region; or that grass types can use photosynthesis to create additional energy for themselves or their attacks.

The device also contained information about Ash's Pokemon as well. In addition to Pikachu, he carried five other Pokemon: Staraptor (A grey and black hawk-like Pokemon), Torterra (A giant turtle-like grass Pokemon that has a tree on its back), Buizel (An orange and yellow weasel Pokemon with a flotation ring around its neck), Infernape (A white and brown monkey with fire for head hair), and Gible (a small blue landshark-like Pokemon with a fin on its head).

Their ship had earlier stopped at Sandgem Town, where Dawn got off to stop at here home in Twinleaf Town. She promised to meet up with them at Pallet Town in a few days. She had Piplup(A small blue Penguin) that was frequently kept out of its pokeball, Buneary (A brown bunny creature with bits of white fluff), Mamoswine (The result of a cross between a wild boar and a woolly mammoth), Togekiss (A white flying chicken-like Pokemon), Cyndaquill (A yellow and blue hedgehog with fire for spikes) and Pachirisu (A white and blue electric squirrel).

Finally, Brock's three Pokemon were Croagunk (The frog from before), Sudowoodo (A tree imitator Pokemon), and Happiny (A pink, round ball of happiness).

Currently, the four were at the onboard Pokemon Center to use the videophone. Ash had heard the news of an attack on a research team in Sinnoh, and wanted to make sure that his friend Gary was all right.

"So this Gary person used to be your biggest rival, huh?" Chamo asked.

"Yes," Ash replied, as he dialed the phone number. "He used to be very arrogant when we started out, but he mellowed out after he lost the Indigo League. After the Jotoh Conference, he gave up training to follow his grandfather as a Pokemon researcher." The screen changed and revealed a scruffy middle aged researcher. "Hey Professor Birch!"

_"Ah, Ash!" _Professor Birch replied._ "How are you!"_

"I should be asking you that!" Ash replied. "We heard about that Pokemon Hunter attack. Are you guys all right?"

_"We're just fine, Ashy-boy,"_ a familiar voice called out.

"Gary!"

_"Hey Ash, how are you?"_ Gary appeared on the screen, along with…

"Paru/Haruna!" Yue and Chamo both exclaimed.

_"Yue! Chamo!" _Haruna stated, in equal shock.

"You guys know each other?" asked Ash and Gary simultaneously, as everyone else looked confused. Which they had every right to be.

_"Are you kidding me?"_ Haruna said. _"We're both classmates as well as members of the Library Exploration Club! How could we not know each other?"_

_"Pardon my asking,"_ Birch interjected, _"but why do you need to explore a library?"_

"Trust me," Chamo answered. "You haven't seen our library. And don't ask me to describe it to you."

_"Anyway, you two will not believe the awesomeness that happened! We kicked the asses of some wannabe crooks who wanted to steal this Zap-"_

_"Quiet!"_ Gary hissed. _"Do you want the whole ship to know about it?"_ Yue groaned, slapping her face.

"You actually trusted her with a big secret? she replied.

"Looks like we found one of your friends, Yue." Brock said.

"Alright!" Ash cheered.

"Pi-pikachu!" Pikachu agreed.

_"Will someone please fill us in on what the heck is going on?"_ Gary asked.

"It's a long story," Brock admitted.

* * *

_"I see,"_ Prof. Birch said, nodding. _"So that's what Samuel's E-mail was about. We'll keep our eyes open for any of your friends."_

_"Once Zapdos is fully healed,"_ Gary continued,_"I'll escort Haruna to you via Snowpoint City. We can arrange a meeting location once we are on the ship."_

_"I'll try to help them as best as I can,"_ Haruna finished.

"Alright, keep safe you guys!" Ash said.

_"Will do!" _they all replied.

"Haruna?" Yue asked. The dark green-haired girl nodded.

_"Yeah, Yue?"_ she asked.

"Try not to annoy Gary too much," the purplette sighed.

Haruna looked hurt. _"Now what would honestly make you think that?"_ Gary and Yue visibly sweatdropped.

"More than you could imagine," they both said, before the screen went blank.

"What was that about?" Brock asked.

"Don't ask."

***DING, DONG* WILL BROCK PLEASE COME TO THE VIDEOPHONE PLEASE? YOU HAVE A CALL WAITING FROM FORREST IN PEWTER CITY.**

"Forrest?" Chamo wondered aloud. "You guys never mentioned him as one of your friends."

"He's my younger brother," Brock explained. "He runs the Gym in the frequent absents of my dad.

"You're dad's a Gym Leader?" Yue asked.

"Yes, and so was I at one point in time." The screen flickered on. "Hey Forrest, how's it going?"

Forrest, who looked like a younger version of Brock, appeared worried. "Thank goodness I reached you! You better get home quick!"

"Forrest, what's wrong?"

_"A Pokemon Gym Inspector is coming over tomorrow morning, and if no one can beat her within two days, she'll close the Gym!" _he replied.

**To be Continued...**_  
_


	4. Of Badges, Symbols, and Idols

_Ugh….After hitting delay after delay, I've finally completed this chapter. God, it's hard translating a battle from only still shots…so sorry if this seems rushed. __Originally, this chapter was supposed to only introduce Chisame and Scott, but after seeing the screenshots from the recent Pokemon Specials…well, you'll see. Enjoy!_

**EDIT 6/30/14: **General maintenance

* * *

**Chapter IV: Of Badges, Symbols, and Idols**

Good morning!3 How is everyone doing today? Is everyone well? Me? Actually, things have gotten bad for Chiu-Chiu, pyon (O). Little ol' indoors-type me decided to go and see what a fellow classmate was doing, and guess what happens? I nearly get killed by both near-sadistic people and a huuuuuge dragon, and now, I'm completely lost in a strange forest with giant exotic animals!

You don't believe me? Well, that's ok; I'm having a hard time believing it myself. I'll even upload some pictures to prove it to you guys.

Today's lesson: "Be careful who you hang out with." Oh MA-N! I don't care how, just somebody save me! I've been out her for the past few days surviving on berries and stuff, and am at the end of my rope here (;_;)!

Update profile.

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"**AAAAARRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGHHH!**"

It definitely was NOT Chisame's day.

"God dammit!" the redhead yelled. "I'm only doing this to make sure that I don't go insane, but it's freakin' annoying that it won't load!" She sighed. "Guess it can't be helped, huh?" She packed up her laptop, stood up, and continued walking to….wherever she was walking to. Which was anywhere except where she was right now.

From behind, Chisame usually could be mistaken for another member of their class, as they both had long, orange hair. There were three main differences, however. One, while she wasn't exactly smart, she was much more intelligent than that monkey. Two, she wasn't a part of their teacher's crazy magical adventures, at least not until a few days ago.

Third, and maybe most importantly, Chisame led a double life. Her alter-ego, Chiu-Chiu, ranked in the top percentile for website hits, and she had millions of global followers, who would probably do anything on her command.

Not that she was exceptionally pretty. No, that was the class rep. Chiu-Chiu is a Photoshop, giving her more curves than she actually had. Chisame even had to wear glasses, which would be a major turn off for just about any boy (Well, any boy who didn't like them, at least). Currently, she was wearing a sailor-style school uniform, with a white top with blue sleeve ends, a pink and blue school scarf, and a blue skirt sleeve. She also was wearing a simple catgirl getup, with ears and a tail that matched her hair. When she had originally picked that outfit to wear, she had been going to cosplay with this outfit for her fans later that day. So much for that.

Chisame slowly walked through the thick underbrush, hoping to find some resemblance of a path that she could follow. After a few hours, however, it became apparent that she wouldn't find anything today. Just like yesterday. Or the day before that.

She picked up a rock, and chucked at a bearby tree in frustration. "Why can't I find somebody in this stupid forest?"

Suddenly, something big and yellow fell out of the tree that the rock had hit.

"Hey, hey," Chisame said. "I said someone, not something." Regardless, she went over to inspect the creature, which was a yellow cocoon with large black eyes.

"This forest just keeps getting weirder and weirder…" she muttered, reaching out to touch the thing.

**!Thunk!**

A massive metal stinger suddenly lay on top of Chisame's outstretched hand. She looked to see what it was connected to, and was shocked at what she saw. Hovering right next to her was a giant yellow bee, with stingers for hands. Behind it, she could see at least several dozen more giant bees.

Chisame was frozen for a few seconds, before she acted on the standard impulse that occurs when one is presented in such a situation: run!

"Me and my big, stinkin', fat mouth!" she cursed, racing as fast as her legs could carry her. The bees had given pursuit, and were slowly closing the distance between them. All seemed lost, until she ran into a clearing, and ran off the edge of a small cliff, falling into a series of bushes. The bees passed overhead, not noticing Chisame's location.

"…that was close…" she muttered, after waiting long enough for the creatures to leave. It was then she noticed something about the bushes she had landed in. They consisted of a series of vines. Which appeared to be moving. And they had eyes poking out of them. Which were glaring at her.

"Crap! Not again!" Chisame tried to run again, but the vines extended, holding her back. The vines that were holding her down broke off from the rest, and carried her off into the forest. After some time, the vines let go of her, and she fell to the ground.

"This is why I absolutely hate nature," she groaned, cleaning her glasses. When she was finished, she put them back on…and saw that she was now surrounded by even more of the vine creatures. Some of them were much larger than others, and had vine-like hands.

If there ever was a time for Chisame to panic, it would be now.

A vine reached out from one of the bigger creatures, and grabbed the girl's waist. She tried to struggle against it, but more vines quickly shot out, and pulled her into the air. As the vines slowly lowered, Chisame began to lose hope.

'_It's no use_!' she thought. '_Against perverted fantasy creatures like this, only some crazy fantasy power will work. Am I really going to die here? All alone_?'

The vines were now even closer. They tugged from all directions now, and were beginning to tear off some of her clothing. One vine even knocked her glasses off, sending them up against a nearby tree. Chisame closed her eyes.

"I DON'T CARE IF YOU'RE AN IDIOT, PROFESSOR NEGI! ANYONE! JUST SAVE ME!"

Chisame was pulled under the vines. Just when it appeared that something indecent would occur...

"**Infernape, use Flame Wheel!"**

Chisame saw a brief flash of light, before it suddenly got significantly warmer. The vines began to retract, freeing her…to be tackled by a monkey that was covered in flames.

"OW! HOT! HOT! HOT! HOT!" she panicked. A large stream of cold water hit her, eliminating the flames, but leaving her completely drenched in what was left of her clothing. At least her laptop had been dropped by a nearby tree; otherwise, it would have been fried…twice.

"Uh, thanks…" she said. "Do you happen to know where my glasses are?" a shape moved towards her, and extended her hand. Chisame reached out, finding that the hand held her glasses.

"Here." The monotonous voice got Chisame's attention, as it was familiar to her.

"Yue?" Chisame put her glasses on, and saw the purple-headed Baka Ranger right in front of her, drinking out of a juice carton.

"Glad to see you're…relatively okay," she greeted. Chisame's clothing was in such a mess, with her clothing melted in many places, exposing skin through and through. Though for some reason, her catgirl getup remained. "Take my cloak." Yue began to take her cloak off.

"Please tell me that this is all just a dream?" Chisame begged, taking the cloak and wrapping it around herself. No sooner than she had said this, she saw Yue's torn clothes.

"If it was only that simple…" the purplette replied.

"So, where are we?" Chisame asked. "And who are those people?" She pointed to the two boys that were nearby.

"Allow me to explain, Chiu-Chiu…" This voice was not well received by the net idol.

"Oh great, not you again…" she groaned. Chamo only snickered, before dashing over to the two, starting with the spiky haired teen.

"This man is Brock, one of the many Pewter City Gym leaders…" and he jumped on the shoulder of a teen wearing a hat. "…and this is Ash, an aspiring young Pokemon trainer who captured the Buizel and Infernape over there that saved you." Both Pokemon cried their names after Chamo finished. "He also reminds Yuecchi of her _darling_ Professor Neg-OMMPH!"

Chamo fell off of Ash's shoulder, and landed face first into the dirt, a juice carton firmly wedged in his mouth.

"…Continuing," Yue said, "this is Chisame, class 3-A's best computer idol."

"Nice to meet you," the three greeted to her.

"L-likewise-HEY!" she burst out. "I thought I told you to keep that a secret?"

"As things are going now," Yue told her, "that website might not have an owner for a long time."

"O-okay, but that still doesn't answer my question on where we are."

"We'll fill you in along the way." As Yue handed her the laptop case, a furious honking noise came from behind the trees. Chisame could make out a red sportscar, and a fairly plump man in a blue Hawaiian shirt.

"Hurry up!" he yelled "We have to get out of here! Those Tangela and Tangrowth won't stay down for long!" As he spoke, some of the aforementioned Pokemon were already beginning to get up. Everyone raced to the car, with Ash returning his two Pokemon to their Pokeballs. Pikachu hopped off of his shoulder in order to prevent Chamo from being left behind.

"Brock in the front, the rest in the back!" He ordered. Chisame, Ash, and Yue. Brock rode shotgun. Once Pikachu dragged the ermine in, the man turned the ignition key.

"Hurry, Scott!" Brock yelled. The man floored the gas pedal, and they shot off, leaving the highly-annoyed Vine Pokemon behind.

"Phew," Ash sighed. "That was way too close!"

"You're telling me!" Scott said. "I had to wait for you guys to get in before going!"

"So," the net idol asked. "About where we are…" Brock filled her in

"Right. We're in Viridian Forest, just south of my home, Pewter City. We were actually there the other day."

"What?! You mean you could have rescued me earlier?!" Yue decided to try and diffuse the volatile Chisame.

"Actually, we were kind of busy with urgent business…" And she explained what had happened.

* * *

The ship docked at Cerulean in the morning. As soon as they were cleared to disembark, Ash and Co. began their trek to Pewter City. Thanks to a newly built rail line, the journey only took a few hours, rather than the several days of crossing Mount Moon. They arrived at noon, and quickly headed for the Gym. The building's stone facade was hard to miss, so they arrived quickly. Forrest, who was wearing jeans and a green striped jacket, was waiting.

"Hey guys, great timing!" he said. "The inspector has just arrived!" The five went inside. But instead of seeing an inspector, they found eight little kids, who all resembled Brock in some way or another.

"Who are all these people?" Yue asked Brock.

"They're all my brothers and sisters!" he said proudly. "Tallest to shortest, there's Salvador, Yolanda, Tommy, Cindy, Suzie, Timmy, Billy, and Tilly!"

"Nice to meet you!" they all said. Chamo jumped onto Brock's shoulder.

"It's nice to see your family's all here, Brocko," the ermine whispered to him, "But isn't someone missing?"

"Guys, where's the inspector?" the breeder asked.

"I'm right here." Brock looked behind his siblings. In the opposite entranceway, a woman wearing a black dress (Think Haruna, but with sleeves) with tall boots was leaning against the wall, glancing at them. She wore a tall grey hat and sunglasses. Her red hair was kept under the hat.

"That's the inspector?" Ash wondered.

"Guess so-eh?" Chamo looked down, and noticed that he was no longer on Brock's shoulder. In fact, he was not standing on anything! "Whah!" Fortunately, he landed on his feet, only to be swarmed by Brock's youngest siblings. The aforementioned breeder had raced in front of the inspector. He seemed to be talking to her, but not in an angry tone. It sounded more like he was…flirting?

"Not again..." Forrest groaned.

"After a few years of traveling with him," Ash sighed, "you get used to it. Hey Brock!" he yelled. "Quit flirting already!" Brock looked hurt.

"Ash, you of all people should know by now that when I see a Nurse Joy, my heart goes aflutter!" The inspector was surprised.

"I have to admit, Brock," she stated, impressed. "You've got some eye to spot through this." She took off her hat and sunglasses to reveal that she really was Nurse Joy. Yue was slightly shocked at this; fortunately, she had been given some brief preparation.

* * *

Flashback

"…_and in every town," Brock continued, "there's a Pokemon Center for trainers to rest and recharge for the night." He was explaining to Yue and Chamo the basics of Pokemon Training. "And in every Pokemon Center, there's the lovely Nurse Joy!" Chamo raised his paw._

"_But doesn't Nurse Joy only run the Center at Lily of the Valley, Brockster?" he asked. Brock pulled out a photo and gave it to the ermine. The photo was of the annual Nurse Joy gathering, and at least one hundred identical Nurse Joys were shown. Brock continued._

"_All Nurse Joys are related by blood," he stated. "All dress the same. And they all work at Pokemon Centers."_

_The ermine looked at the photo, then back at Brock. "And you said that we'll have to stop at one in each town we meet?" he asked. Brock nodded._

_Yue sighed. For some reason, she had a feeling that there would be a string of pantie thefts in Pokemon Centers that would happen to coincide with their journey._

End Flashback

* * *

"You even know my name!" Brock exclaimed. "That makes things much easier! How about we discuss this business about the gym over-!"

**!JAB!**

"EEAOOOWW! Over….my….hunched over…body…" and he fainted. Croagunk took Brock's hand, and unceremoniously dragged him to a far corner of the Gym.

"**Haha, looks like even the Pokemon are getting wise to Brock's ways!"**

Everyone turned back to the entrance of the Gym to see a middle aged man walk into the arena. He was a fairly plump man with curly brown hair, and sunglasses that hid his eyes. He wore a blue Hawaiian shirt with shorts, and had a red Pokenav around his neck.

"Scott!" Ash exclaimed.

"Hey there Ash!" the man replied. "I thought I saw you running into the Gym before. Here to challenge the Indigo League once more?"

"Actually, I'm here to help a friend out," Ash stated. Nurse Joy cleared her throat.

"Recently, Trainers have been complaining that when they battled at the Pewter Gym, they were facing Forrest, and not one of the two listed Gym Leaders, Brock or Flint. I am here to make sure that all trainers who come to Pewter City for the Boulder Badge will be guaranteed a match with an official Gym Leader. If a member of the family of the current owner of the Pewter Gym can defeat me in a battle, I will recognize Forrest as the Pewter City Gym Leader."

"And if one of us loses?" Brock asked, fully recovered from Poison Jab. Nurse Joy sighed.

"One of the two Gym Leaders would then have to stay in Pewter City for at least one year, or else lose the Gym altogether."

"One year?!" Ash gasped.

Brock thought for a few seconds, then looked back at Nurse Joy. "Okay! I accept those terms!" He turned back to Forrest. "Don't worry, Forrest. By tomorrow, you'll be an official Gym Leader."

* * *

Forrest stood in the referee box. "This battle between Nurse Joy and the Gym Leader Brock is about to begin! Each trainer will use only one Pokemon."

On the top railing, Ash, Pikachu, Scott, Yue, Chamo, and all of Brock's brothers and sisters awaited the start of the match.

"Good luck, brother!" Yolanda yelled.

"You can do it!" Timmy added. Ash turned to Yue and Chamo.

"Oh yeah, this is the first time you've watched a Pokemon battle before, isn't it?" Yue nodded.

"You're in for a treat then," Scott jumped in. "I've heard that the Gym Inspectors are much stronger than the normal Nurse Joy. And Brock certainly didn't become a Gym Leader by taking a simple written test."

'_Good luck, Brock!_' Forrest thought, before raising both of his hands into the air. "Begin the match!" Brock began first.

"Sudowoodo, I choose you!" The Imitation Pokemon stood at the ready, his arm in a salute.

"Sudowoodo!"

"Chansey, come on out!" Nurse Joy sent out the pink Egg Pokemon.

"Chansey!" Yue, who was borrowing Ash's Pokedex, took it out.

*CHANSEY. THE EGG POKEMON. CHANSEY IS THE EVOLVED FORM OF HAPPINY. A CHANSEY WILL BRING HAPPINESS TO ANY TRAINER THAT MANAGES TO CATCH IT. CHANSEY ARE RARE IN THE WILD, BUT CAN ALWAYS BE FOUND AT A POKEMON CENTER UNDER THE CARE OF NURSE JOY.*

"Sudowoodo, Double Edge!"

Sudowoodo rushed forward at Chansey, in an attempt at tackling it.

"Chansey, Defense Curl!"

The Egg Pokemon scrunched herself into a ball-like shape, and began to glow purple. Sudowoodo did his best impression of a linebacker, but the Imitation Pokemon only managed to move Chansey about five feet.

"Now Chansey, Attract!"

Chansey brought her hands to her mouth, and blew out a series of hearts. The instant that they touched Sudowoodo, his eyes turned into hearts. The Imitation Pokemon then began to sway in place.

"Seriously?" Chamo wondered. "That's all it does?" Yue was surprised too.

"What happened to Sudowoodo?" she asked.

"He's infatuated with Chansey now," Scott said grimly. "He won't listen to some of Brock's commands now. Sure enough, Brock tried to call attacks, but Sudowoodo seemed to ignore them. "This is bad. When a Pokemon falls under Attract, its chances of winning fall dramatically."

"Come on Brock!" Ash shouted out to his friend. "Don't give up!"

"Chansey, Pound!" Nurse Joy called. Chansey rushed up Sudowoodo, who was oblivious to anything around him – until he got slapped halfway across the arena.

"Sudowoodo!" Brock yelled. "Are you ok?!"

"Su…do…woo…" It took a while, but the Imitation Pokemon managed to stand up, free from Attract, but having sustained major damage.

_'We can't take much more damage!' _Brock thought. "Sudowoodo, Headbutt!"

"Finish it Chansey! Egg Bomb!" Nurse Joy shouted.

Sudowoodo charged at Chansey, but was stopped when the Egg Pokemon threw her egg at him. The moment it touched Sudowoodo, it exploded, covering the Imitation Pokemon in a cloud of dust. When everyone could see properly…

"Sudowoodo is unable to battle!" Forrest declared. "The winners are Nurse Joy and Chansey!" Brock rushed out onto the field to tend to Sudowoodo.

"Su…do…" the Imitation Pokemon sighed, upset at his own performance.

"You gave it your best, buddy," Brock consoled. "Take a good long rest." He returned his Pokemon to his Pokeball just as Forrest ran out to him.

"How's Sudowoodo?" he asked his older brother.

"He'll be fine after a night's rest." They both turned to face Nurse Joy.

"It's clear that not only can I not certify Forrest to be the head of the Pewter Gym," Nurse Joy stated, "but I also must question you, Brock, for falling into such an easy and avoidable trap so quickly. I must discuss this with my superiors." She turned around and left. Brock's siblings were the first to come down, followed by Ash, Scott, and Yue. His siblings bombarded him with panicked questions.

"Brock! Are you alright?"

"Is Sudowoodo hurt badly?"

"What's going to happen to the Gym?"

"Calm down, guys," Brock reassured. "We'll get through this, just like the time when Mom tried to change the Gym. Speaking of those two, where are they?" All of the siblings exchanged nervous glances.

Forrest started to speak, saying to Brock "You're not going to like the answer-"

"**Kids! We're back!"** Forrest and Brock both cringed, as two people carrying gifts entered the Gym. One was a middle aged woman with reddish-brown hair, while the other was essentially an older version of Brock. Both wore yellow and green tropical shirts with red shorts.

"I'm sorry we're late," the woman said. "Our flight was delayed getting out of the Orange Islands, but that gave us enough time to get you all souvenirs" She noticed Brock. "Oh, hello Brock, Ash! You're home early. Give us just a sec…" The two distributed all of the presents, which ranged from a Smoochum doll to a Vileplume banner. Brock got a Dugtrio figurine, and Forrest got a Porygon2 banner.

"So who's this cutie, Ash?" the man asked. "Did Brock set you guys up?" Ash and Yue went red in the face.

"N-no!" the Baka Ranger corrected. "I-I'm Yue Ayase. I'm just traveling with Ash to find my friends." The man chuckled.

"Don't worry, I was only kidding!" he stated. "My name is Flint, and that's my wife, Lola! We've just come back from our month-long vacation in the Orange Islands."

"That's right!" Lola chimed "And it was such a wonderful vacation, right, my Flint?"

"Oh, you know I had a good time," stated Flint. "Especially when you-"

"WHY MUST YOU TWO ALWAYS LEAVE THE GYM IN DISREPAIR TO GO ON STUPID VACATIONS?!" Brock yelled.

* * *

While Brock had gone to Nurse Joy to ask for another chance to battle her, Lola invited Ash, Yue, and Scott for dinner and an overnight stay. The three were hesitant at first, but Forrest said that it was okay, so they stayed. As everyone waited for Lola to prepare the food, Ash decided to talk to Scott about what Mr. Goodshow had said.

"Mr. Goodshow told me that you had been busy with something recently, Scott," he asked. The Battle Frontier owner nodded.

"Looks like word's getting around," Scott said. "You remember that I originally created the Battle Frontier here in Kanto as a way to refine the art of the Pokemon Battle, right? Well, it's gained immense popularity here in Kanto, especially after you defeated Brandon, so I decided to pursue into other regions. In Jotho now, there are five new facilities that will test the abilities of a trainer to new heights. I'm preparing to open the facility in a press conference tomorrow in Pallet Town."

"Why Pallet?" Forrest wondered. Scott smiled.

"Pallet is the home of a trainer that I have in mind to help me with something," he explained. "Although right now, he's actually in the home of the Pewter Gym Leader." It did not take long for Ash to connect the two together.

"Me?" Ash asked.

"Yes," answered Scott. "The new Frontier Brains have so far only battled against each other, as well as the Frontier Brains in Kanto. From these battles, they have memorized each other's strategies, and as a result, are only a level under the Elite Four. But I need to give them a final test, one that is not a battle against one another, but instead is against a challenger, who they have not faced in battle before. At the same time, I need to begin to promote the Jotho Frontier across the region, and a famous and well known face would certainly help with that."

"So, what do you want me to do?" Ash asked. Yue had a good idea.

"I think he wants you to challenge this Jotho Frontier," she said.

"That's exactly it," Scott continued. "Considering what happened at the Sinnoh Conference, you could also think of this as a way that you can keep your skills up until the Conference resumes. So what do you think, Ash? Do you want to compete in the Jotho Frontier?" Ash did not hesitate for a second.

"Of course!" he stated excitedly. "It was so exciting when I challenged the Battle Frontier last year, and I'd never pass up the chance to compete for another go-around!"

"Pika, Pikachu!" his Pokemon cheered.

"Fantastic!" he cheered. "I'll fill you in at the press conference tomorrow." Just then, Brock returned, and took the seat next to Yue.

"I managed to convince Nurse Joy to run another inspection tomorrow," he stated.

"Way to go, Brock!" Ash cheered.

"Pi-Pikachu!"

"I knew you could do it," Forrest added. Brock sighed.

"Yeah, but I'm not doing the battling," he explained. This created some confusion.

"What do you mean?" Forest asked. Brock looked at his younger brother.

"Forrest, part of the deal is that you will have to battle Nurse Joy," he explained. A long silence filled the dining room, until Lola finally came in with the first course.

"Okay, kids! I made some mashed potatoes, green beans, and apple sauce to start you guys –" She stopped, noticing the silence of the room. "Hey, why's it so quiet?"

Forrest and Brock looked at each other. "Wanna start training now?" the younger brother asked. Brock smiled.

"Sure, as long as you can keep up with me!" he challenged.

"You wish!" Forest countered, chuckling. The two headed towards the main arena, whizzing by Lola.

"Wait up, you guys!" Ash shouted. He quickly got out of his chair and raced after him, Pikachu not far behind. This was soon followed by Yue, and then the siblings. One by one, everyone except Lola left the dining room.

"Hey!" she hollered, "where are you all going?" Scott bowed.

"Sorry, Lola," he apologized, "but there's some serious artwork being painted in your gym, and I'm not one to miss out on it!" Lola was left alone in the dining room, with only the food to keep her company.

"…What about my food…?"

* * *

All throughout the night, Brock and Forrest sparred and trained under a single gym floodlight. Ash and Flint helped out at times, with Brock's family watching as well; but by midnight, they had all gone off to bed, except for Brock and Forrest. Well, at least they thought so.

From a hidden part of the balcony, Yue stood, just observing the late night training. Their two pokemon were giving it their all, neither giving an inch, when…

"Alright, that's about enough," Brock called out. "Return!" He called back his Pokemon, as Forrest did the same. "I'm impressed," the breeder stated. "To think, you could have mastered battling with that Pokemon, at such an age!"

"Hey," pouted Forrest. "I'm not that young!" The two laughed, before Forrest yawned.

"I think it's just about time to get some rest," Brock declared, and turned around. "So, are you going to use him in tomorrow's battle?" he asked.

"Of course!" Forrest declared with confidence. "That Chansey won't know what hit her!"

"Easy," Brock said, putting his hand on his brother's shoulder. "Remember not to be too overconfident, okay? Otherwise, you may turn out to be just like Ash was at the beginning of his journey."

"Is that a compliment or an insult?" Forrest inquired. It took a few seconds for Brock to answer.

"…maybe a little of both," he decided.

Yue watched as the two headed out of the Gym arena. She was ready to head back to bed, when she walked into someone. "Ah!"

"I thought I heard someone walking past the rooms before," said Scott "Couldn't resist watching the boys train, huh?" Yue had definitely not expected to run into him.

"N-no!" she replied hastily I-I was just trying to find the bathroom, and happened to stumble back here." Scott chuckled.

"I see….So what do you think about Forrest's chances tomorrow?" he asked. Yue thought for a moment.

"Well, if Nurse Joy uses Chansey again, then Forrest should have no problem…" The purplette had given her answer with some hesitation, something that Scott quickly picked up on.

"Something bugging you?" the Frontier owner asked.

"I checked both Sudowoodo and Chansey after the battle on the Pokedex," she explained. "A Rock Type Pokemon like Sudowoodo shouldn't have taken as much damage as it did from Doubleslap and Egg Bomb, since not only are Normal Type moves not effective against Rock-Types, but also as Chansey don't normally have high attack power. This Nurse Joy seems to be a very powerful trainer. If she has a Pokemon that is more powerful than Chansey, I'm not sure that Forrest will be able to counter in time." The man nodded.

"Seems like the two of us think alike," Scott stated. "Not bad." He turned to head back.

"May I ask a question?" Yue stated. Scott paused.

"What seems to be on your mind?" he asked.

"What is the draw to Pokemon Battles?" the purplette asked. Now it was Scott's turn to be surprised. He turned around to face the girl.

"What do you mean?" he asked. Yue chose her words carefully; she had not told Scott about her whereabouts.

"I…haven't really been interested in them before, since my friends and family believe that it is animal cruelty. But since I started traveling with Ash and Brock, I've been more exposed to them than ever before. I can't understand, however, why people want to pit Pokemon against each other in sport." Scott pondered Yue's question.

"In my case, I see it as a form of art," he answered truthfully. "However, I can tell you that isn't the answer you are looking for. I think what you are asking is more based on the journey itself. When a Trainer goes out on his adventure, his or her Pokemon feels the confidence in him or her. The Pokemon wants to help its trainer. The same thing goes for wild Pokemon as well. Sometimes, they are so impressed with the trainer's skills and determination that they wish to fight side-by-side with the trainer."

"So it's based on Pokemon and humans working towards a common goal?" she continued. Scott nodded his head.

"Precisely. The Pokemon Battle is essentially a commercialized version of the ultimate utopia, with Pokemon and people helping each other for the sake of world peace." He paused. "You're rather quick to catch on, which is essential for all great trainers. I believe that you could have some promise, if you choose to go down that path." Scott headed back to bed, leaving Yue with much to think about tomorrow.

* * *

"This battle between Nurse Joy and Forrest of Pewter City is about to begin!" True to Brock's word, Nurse Joy returned the next morning to battle Forrest. Brock had agreed to be the referee for the match. "Each trainer will use only one Pokemon. The battle will end when either trainer's Pokemon is unable to battle!"

"Hey Scott, do you think all of that training last night will help?" wondered Ash.

"I don't know," he answered. It all depends on who they send out now." Yue turned her head to her right.

"…What are you two holding?" she asked. The others followed Yue's gaze, and found themselves to be staring at Flint and Lola, who were carrying several large white cases. Two of Brock's Pokemon, Sudowoodo and a green and yellow sombrero-wearing duck that Yue identified as a Ludicolo, were carrying more cases.

"Well," Flint explained, "we happened to get these for using at Cindy's birthday in two weeks…"

"…but," finished Lola, "since this is a special occasion, we're breaking these out now!" And with some of the cheesiest smiles that one could ever imagine, the two opened a container, and presented…Hawaiian skirts.

"Are we SERIOUSLY going to have to wear those?" Yolanda complained.

"Yes," her mother responded. "We have to cheer on Forrest, remember?"

"Now hold still…" Flint ordered. The two furiously got to work. A cloud of dust appeared where the siblings were that was so noisy, that it even got the attention of Brock, Forrest, and Nurse Joy. Ash, Yue, Pikachu, Chamo, and Scott, who were on the balcony with them, stared in amazement at Flint and Lola's frantic work. Suddenly, Ludicolo and Sudowoodo came out of the cloud, and grabbed Ash and Yue's arms. "Oh yeah, Since we have a few extras here, as well as Forrest's and Brock's, you guys can dress up too!"

"W-wait!" Ash stammered. "W-we're fine cheering them on like this!" But it was no use, as the two Pokemon dragged them into the cloud. Chamo, who was with Pikachu on the railing, was glad he didn't get caught up in that. Yes, he loved to see girls dressing into Hawaiian skirts, but if he went into there, he would be breaking his three golden rules: don't peek on a married woman, don't peek on kids, and above all else, don't peek on a guy.

Rather quickly, Lola and Flint had not only managed to change all of Brock's siblings into the Hawaiian outfits, but also Ash, Yue and themselves as well. Everyone had pink flower necklaces and yellow pom-poms. The girls wore matching blue and red flower pattern shirts with grass skirts; the boys just had the grass skirts.

"C'mon Forrest!" Flint cheered. "Show Nurse Joy how we rock n' roll here!"

"Make your mother proud!" Lola yelled. The rest of Brock's family were silent; either they were too confused or embarrassed about their new outfits, or were ashamed of their embarrassing parents.

Chamo inspected Ash and Yue. "Hmmm, not bad. But Yuecchi doesn't really have the chest size to-waah!"

A rather embarrassed Yue slapped Chamo off of the railing. Fortunately, he landed on Brock's shoulder.

"You okay?" the Breeder asked.

"Yeah," he whispered. '_I know she's sensitive about her chest size, but does she really have to take it out on me_?' "Can we start this already?"

"Right," agreed Brock. He raised both hands in the air. "May the battle begin!"

"Rhyperior, I choose you!" Forrest threw the Pokeball submarine-style, and released a giant rock monster with drills for a nose, and an orange rock belt. Yue whipped out Ash's Pokedex.

*RHYPERIOR. THE DRILL POKEMON. RHYPERIOR IS THE EVOLVED FORM OF RHYDON. RHYPERIOR PUTS ROCKS IN HOLES IN ITS PALMS AND USES ITS MUSCELS TO SHOOT THEM. OCCASIONLY, THEY WILL PICK UP A GEODUDE BY MISTAKE.*

Nurse Joy tossed her Pokeball high into the air. "Come on out, Latias!" Everyone from the Pokemon world visibly tensed.

"Ah!" Forrest gasped.

"Latias?!" Ash yelled.

"No!" Brock muttered.

The Pokeball opened, revealing a majestic red and white dragon. It had a blue triangle on its chest, and two fixed wings sprouted from its back. Yue checked the Pokedex.

*LATIAS. THE EON POKEMON. LATIAS ARE HIGHLY SENSITIVE TO THE HUMAN EMOTION, WITH SOME EVEN HAVING THE ABILITY TO COMMUNICATE WITH HUMANS. LATIAS ARE ALWAYS FEMALE, AND ARE USUALLY SEEN WITH THEIR MALE COUNTERPART, LATIOS*

"Hoo, boy!" Scott chuckled. "Guess your gut was right, Yue; Forrest is in for a heck of a battle here!"

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"Latias are classified as legendary Pokemon," the Frontier owner explained, "meaning that very few exist in the world. Also, Latias are adept at Special Attacks, which a Rhyperior has little resistance to."

"Forrest definitely has his work cut out for him now," Ash agreed grimly.

"C'mon, Forrest!" Salvador yelled.

"Don't give in!" Tommy added.

"Pika-Pika!" Pikachu chimed in. Forrest was nervous, but he tried his best show it.

"Rhyperior, Megahorn!" he ordered. Rhyperior's front horn glowed white, and suddenly extended forward. With speed no one would think the giant monster would have, Rhyperior charged forward, and leapt into the air, aiming for Latias.

"Latias, dodge it!" Nurse Joy said. Latias got out of the path of the Drill Pokemon. Rhyperior, however, simply turned its head around, and the giant horn broadsided the Eon Pokemon, sending her halfway across the arena. "Ah!"

"Alright!" cheered Forrest.

"Ice Beam!" the Pokemon nurse countered. A light blue sphere began to form in the Latias's hands.

"Not so fast!" cried Forrest. "Use Shock Wave, Rhyperior!"

Rhyperior's horn whirred up, shooting out electricity at the Eon Pokemon at an unfathomable speed. Latias cried out so much in pain, that the Ice Beam sphere dissolved in her hands.

"That was close!" Lola sighed.

"Yeah," agreed Scott. "If that Ice Beam had hit, Rhyperior would take a huge amount of damage."

"I've never seen a Rhyperior that could use Shock Wave before," Nurse Joy explained to Forrest. "I'm impressed!"

"Thanks," he replied, "but we're not done yet! Rhyperior, use Megahorn!"

"That's not going to work twice in a row!" she declared with a smirk. "Ice Beam, Latias!"

Rhyperior once again charged at Latias, but was struck by Ice Beam before he could jump into the air. The Drill Pokemon tumbled in the air, before landing flat on his stomach. Rhyperior was panting heavily as it struggled to get up.

"No," Lola whispered, "this can't end here!"

"One more time, Latias!" the Pokemon Nurse ordered. "Ice Beam!" Another ball of ice formed in the Eon Pokemon's hand. Rhyperior seemed to be having trouble getting out of the way.

"I can't watch!" Lola covered her eyes. Just as Latias was about to fire…

"Now!" On Forrest's command, Rhyperior dove to his left. Adjusting accordingly, the Eon Pokemon fired the Ice Beam, which obliterated the rock into a cloud of rubble.

"H…how badly is Rhyperior frozen?" Lola asked after a few seconds.

"If we could find Forrest's Pokemon, I'd tell you," Yue replied. Lola looked up. Instead of seeing a Rhyperior-cicle, she instead saw a rather big chunk of ice on the opposite wall of the arena, a very confused Latias levitating just above the ground, and a hole that was big enough to fit a minivan through. Or big enough for a Pokemon.

"Now Rhyperior, Megahorn!" Forrest shouted The ground began to shake violently. Latias quickly pulled up, but not quick enough; Rhyperior shot out of the ground, and swatted the Eon Pokemon like a fly. Now it was Nurse Joy's turn to watch her Pokemon struggle off the ground. "Again!" Rhyperior quickly dug into the ground. Latias managed to get up just as the tremors began again, but kept looking around, unable to tell where the attack would come from.

"I see!" Scott realized. "Forrest knows that Rhyperior can't withstand another Ice Beam, so he ordered Rhyperior to dig underground. But he made it look like he was hiding behind a rock, so that Latias couldn't send the Ice beam down the hole!" Yue was enthralled by the simple brilliance in this strategy. Even Flint was impressed.

"What else would you expect from my son?" he replied.

"Maybe flirtation?" Yue asked flatly.

"Ah…" Flint trailed off, unable to procure an easy answer.

Again, the Eon Pokemon was unable to escape from Rhyperior and its mighty Megahorn. But this time, she was flung into the air; and while she still took massive damage when she hit the roof, she managed to stay airborne. Both Forrest and Nurse Joy knew that the Dig-Megahorn combination wouldn't work now.

"Alright Forrest!" Lola cheered.

"You're doing great!" Ash added.

"Don't let up the pressure!" Chamo's ears perked up, as the last comment was from Yue.

'_Was that really Yuecchi_?' the ermine wondered in disbelief. '_I've never seen her this emotional in something before. No wait, there was the time back in the Mahora Underground…_'

"Latias, Ice Beam!" As the Eon Pokemon began to form another attack, Forrest realized the grave mistake he made: Rhyperior was close to a giant boulder, but not close enough that the Drill Pokemon could use Dig.

"Duck behind the rock!" he ordered. Rhyperior made it just in time, as the Ice Beam struck the base of the boulder, completely obliterating it. As the dust cleared, Rhyperior got up to face Latias, whose wings were now glowing in a brilliant luster.

"Ah!" Flint gasped. Ash had seen this attack before.

"It's Steel Wing!" he shouted. The attack broadsided Rhyperior, who fell face first onto the ground.

"Rhyperior!" Forrest called out. "Are you okay?" Rhyperior let out a small grunt, letting Forrest know that the Drill Pokemon was still conscious.

"Again!" Nurse Joy commanded. As the Drill Pokemon slowly began to get up, Latias did a midair loop, and came around to attack with Steel Wing once more. Rhyperior was helpless to get out of the way, and was smacked back onto the ground, this time for good.

"Rhyperior is unable to battle!" Brock declared, raising his hand towards Nurse Joy. "The winners are Nurse Joy and Latias!" The silence was deafening, as nobody could believe what had just happened.

"It's…over?" Lola gasped, disbelieving the results. Nurse Joy went to her Pokemon to congratulate her.

"Good job, Latias! You take a good long rest." She returned The Eon Pokemon into her Pokeball.

Forrest fell down onto his hands and knees, realizing what would happen next. He and Brock both ran out to the unconscious Drill Pokemon, with the latter spraying a potion on Rhyperior. "I'm so sorry, Rhyperior…I failed when you most need me…"

"Don't be so hard on yourself," Brock said. "It doesn't matter if you won or lost. It matters that you gave it your very best today."

"Rry…" the Drill Pokemon agreed. Nurse Joy walked up to the two of him.

"I could hear your training matches from outside," she explained. "They sounded very intense, but this match was on a completely different level! And considering that you were up against a Latias makes it even more amazing!" She tossed something over to Forrest, who swiftly caught it. He recognized it as the Boulder badge, which is given to trainers who are victorious at the Pewter Gym. But this badge was different. The grey boulder-shaped pin had raised ridges that formed the two-thirds triangle Pokemon League symbol. "It's with great pleasure that I award you with this special Boulder Badge, which is proof that you are an official Indigo League Gym Leader." Brock was surprised.

"But I thought…?" he started.

"I only threatened the closure of the gym so that I could bring out the best in Forrest," she explained. "You hit my plan on the nose: I was judging solely on the ability to adapt to new situations, regardless of the outcome."

Forrest stared at her for a few seconds, before smiling.

* * *

"Are you sure you guys can't stay for lunch?" Lola asked. Everyone was standing outside of the Gym, and Nurse Joy, Ash, Yue, Brock, and Scott were all ready to leave.

"I'm sorry," Nurse Joy apologized, "But I'm leaving tomorrow for another region. There are a few gyms there that have trainers applying for Gym Leader positions, so I must be off quickly.

"I can't postpone my press conference today," Scott explained, "as it's been pushed back long enough. So we're in the same boat, even if we're going in opposite directions.

"Hey Forrest, take care of Croagunk and Sudowoodo for me, okay?" Brock asked. He had once again swapped his Pokemon in his party, leaving Croagunk and Sudowoodo at the Gym, while taking Geodude (A boulder with hands), Steelix ( A metallic rock snake), and Marshtomp (A blue bipedal amphibious creature) with him.

"I will, don't worry," the new Gym Leader replied.

"I just know that these two will be helpful around the house!" Lola said excitedly. Brock sighed.

"Mom, I entrusted them to Forrest, not you," he reminded her.

"Are you sure I can keep this?" Yue asked her. Yue was back in her robe, hat, and holed shorts, but was still wearing the Hawaiian shirt.

"Of course!" she replied. "Your shirt was a wreck anyway. It's a shame we can't give you any pants…"

"But you can use the skirt!" Flint offered. To that, Yue looked nervously away.

"Uh, no thanks," she said quietly.

"Well, I must be going." Nurse Joy said, turning around-

"My Nurse Joy!"

-Only for Brock to intercept her.

"If you ever need anything, you can always come back here to Pewter City!" he declared. "Or you can find me, and begin saying how much-"

**!JAB!**

"YIEEE! …has…happened…" Brock collapsed, and Croagunk dragged him into Scott's car.

"I guess Croagunk is telling us that it's time to go," Flint chuckled. Everyone laughed, before Ash, Scott, and Yue got into the red sportscar, and drove off.

"Goodbye everybody!" Ash called back.

"Goodbye, guys!"the others stated.

"Tell Delia I said hi!" Lola called.

"Okay!" the raven haired trainer stated.

"…Bye…Nurse Joy…" Brock muttered, still in pain.

* * *

Yue quickly realized that Scott was not the best driver in the Pokemon World, as the car bounced up and down the road to Pallet Town, literally hitting every single pothole in the road. But when they reached a big forest, Scott eased off the gas, and slowed down.

"We can't go fast in Viridan Forest," he explained. "If we accidently hit a Pokemon here, the entire forest will come out and attack us."

Yue took out a carton of Oran Berry juice she had saved from the ship ride. As she began to drink it, she heard a rustling by the road. Looking out, she saw some tiny vine creatures walking along the road. Yue took out the Pokedex to investigate.

*TANGELA. THE VINE POKEMON. TANGELAARE SURROUNDED BY BLUE VINES THAT HAVE A SIMILAR TEXTURE TO SEAWEED. NO ONE HAS VER SEEN ITS FACE, WHICH IS HIDDEN BENEATH THE VINES.*

"Something's not right," Brock commented. "These Tangela look angry, like someone had agitated them." Sure enough, each Pokemon looked like it was ready to kill someone.

Pikachu's ears twitched. "Pika! Pika-pikachu, pika-pi!"

"What's wrong, Pikachu?" Ash asked his trusted partner.

"Pika, Pi-"

"**I DON'T CARE IF YOU'RE AN IDIOT, PROFESSOR NEGI! ANYONE! JUST SAVE ME!" **The sudden cry for help startled everyone in the car. Yue and Chamo looked out towards the source of the

"That's Chisame!" Yue called out. "She's one of my classmates!" Ash quickly realized what that meant for the distress signal.

"Stop the car!" he ordered Scott, who slammed on the brakes. As soon as they stopped, Yue, Ash, and Brock got out, and raced down to the source of the voice. They arrived at the bottom of the hill, and were immediately slapped by some sort of vines. The Tangela were not ready to allow them to pass, nor was another vine creature that was much bigger than the Tangela.

"W-what the heck is that?!" Chamo stammered. Yue checked the Pokedex.

*TANGROWTH. THE VINE POKEMON. TANGROWTH IS THE EVOLVED FORM OF TANGELA. TANGROWTH CAPTURES ITS PREY BY EXTENDING ITS ARMS, WHICH ARE MADE OF VINES. EVEN IF THE ARMS ARE CUT OFF, THEY IMMEDIATELY GROW RIGHT BACK.*

Ash looked out into the mess of Tangela and Tangrowth. He managed to catch a brief glimpse of an arm, before it disappeared under the mass of vines. "She's in there!" He quickly tossed two Pokeballs into the air. "Pikachu, use Thunderbolt! Buizel, Use Ice Punch! Infernape, use Flame Wheel!" The three Pokemon quickly made short work of the Vine Pokemon. Pikachu zapped some, while Buizel froze others with its punches. Infernape became covered in flames, and charged at the center of the pile, where Chisame was captured. The Flame Pokemon made quick work of the Tangela and Tangrowth, and was able to free the net idol; however…

"OW! HOT! HOT! HOT! HOT!" Some of Chisame's clothes had been ripped off from the Vine Pokemon, but the rest were now on fire.

"Ah!" stumbled Ash, realizing what he had accidentally done. "Buizel, Water Gun, quick!"

"Bui-Bui!" The Sea Weasel Pokemon fired a stream of water at Chisame, which doused the fire out, but also completely soaked her to the bone.

As the Vine Pokemon began to retreat and regroup, something caught Yue's eye. It was Chisame's laptop and glasses. Yue retrieved them, and returned to the rest of the group.

"Uh, thanks…" Chisame said quietly, thankful that she was no longer on fire. "Do you happen to know where my glasses are?"

Yue handed her the glasses. "Here."

* * *

"And that's that." the purplette. finished.

"Uh, Yue?" Scott called from the driver's seat. "They're all asleep." It was true: Ash, Chisame, and the others were all asleep. At least until Scott hit another pothole.

"OW!" Chisame groaned. "I was just getting comfortable, too!"

"Don't worry," the Battle Frontier owner said. "That's the last pothole before Pallet Town, see? We're almost there!" The sportscar crested the hill, everyone looked and saw a majestic valley lay before them. The road wound its way down the valley, before reaching a small community. On a nearby hill, a windmill marked the spot of what looked like a small research facility.

"It's Pallet Town!" Brock stated.

"We're finally home!" Ash cheered.

"Pi-Pikachu!"

Running through the thoughts of Ash and Pikachu were the promises of a new adventure. Yue, on the other hand, was thinking differently. If Ash could read minds, he would recognize them immediately.

**To Be Continued...**


	5. Magical Twinkle Trainer

_After hitting delays from FFN errors and new story uploads, Chapter 5 is finally finished! I sincerely apologize for the long delay…__So now, I present to you the final chapter of the introductory arc. Enjoy!_

**_EDIT 6/30/14:_**_ General cleanup_

* * *

**Chapter V: Magical Twinkle Trainer**

Three figures stood in the shadows, watching Scott's car roll over the last hill before entering Pallet Town. "So, the twerps are finally here…"

"It's a good thing too. I was getting tired of waiting around for them. Who's idea was it to wait around so that we can steal both Pikachu and the Pokemon in Oak's lab anyway?"

"I believe it was yours."

"Oh yeah! I forgot…"

**!SLAP!**

"OW! Why did you slap me?"

"Because you forgot the plan! How can you be so stupid?"

"Hey, da twoip's got sum new goilfriends with 'im!"

"Oh? Let me see! Let me see!"

"Hey! Give me back my binoculars! You already have your own!"

"Take mine."

"Thanks."

"Haven't we seen that girl somewhere before? The one with the purple hair?"

"You're right. Wasn't she at the Sinnoh League Tournament?"

"Are ya sure that we should still go wit' 'dis?"

"Oh?"

"Something wrong?"

"Call it a Pokemon's instinct, but dat girl is givin' me a strange vibe."

"Who cares? It's probably nothing. Let's hurry and start the operation already!"

"Right!"

"…"

* * *

At the Ketchum household, Delia, Ash's mom, was busy tidying up the living room in preparation for the upcoming arrival of her son and his friends. She wore a pink buttoned blouse over a yellow t-shirt, a sky blue skirt, and white shoes. Her reddish-brown hair was tied up into a ponytail, and fell down to her waist. She had a youthful look to her, yet her brown eyes showed the hard work and determination that comes only from being a mother. Helping her was a curious pink and white clown creature called Mr. Mime. It wore an apron, and was sweeping the floor with a broom.

***DING, DONG***

"Coming!" she called. "Mimey, can you shut off the tea water please?"

"Mime, Mr. Mime!" Mr. Mime stopped its dusting, and went into the kitchen. Delia, meanwhile, opened the door. "Oh, hello, Misty!"

"Hi Mrs. Ketchum!" the girl greeted. She had bright orange hair that fell down to her waist, beautiful ocean blue eyes, and a bright smile on her face. She wore a blue sleeveless tank top with a white hoodie, black jean shorts, and white tennis shoes with red sides. She also had a backpack shaped in the form of a blue and white seal-like creature. Bundled up in her arms was a small blue mouselike creature. It had two small ears, and a white spot on each cheek. What was strange about the creature, though, was that at the end of its thin, zig-zag tail was a giant blue ball of flesh that was as big as the creature's body.

"Azurill!" the creature cried.

"And how are you doing Azurill?" Delia cheerfully asked the mouse creature.

"Az! Azurill!" the Pokemon chirped cheerfully.

"Is Ash here yet?" Misty asked her. The mother shook her head.

"Not yet, but they should be home very-"

**SCREECH!** Scott skidded to a stop right in front of the Ketchum household, startling the two. Inside the car, the passengers were tossed around like rag dolls. Misty made a quick reaction to catch Chisame's laptop, which had flown out of the car; Chamo and Pikachu were slammed headfirst into the windshield; and Ash, Yue, and Brock were nearly choked to death by the seatbelts.

"...soon..." Delia finished.

"Well, we're here!" declared Scott.

"I'm not sure my lunch is…" Chisame groaned.

"Pi…ka…"

"Ash!" Delia ran over and embraced her son, who had just gotten out of the car.

"M-Mom!" he exclaimed. He did not expect her to be outside when they arrived home. " It's good to see you!"

"Have you been remembering to change your-?" she asked.

"Mom, I think I'm old enough to remember to do that, don't 'cha think?" he interrupted.

"Yes, but you're still my son, and I have to worry about everything," she replied.

"Good to see you too, Ash," stated Misty, making her presence known.

"Misty!" Ash gasped in surprise. "What are you doing in Pallet Town?"

"Oh, just stopping to say hello on my way through," she said.

"Ash," Delia interrupted, "didn't you only meet up with one girl?"

"Oh yeah! Mom, Misty, I'd like you to meet Yue, Chisame, and Cha…mo…" Ash looked out to where Scott's car was to find that it was gone. Instead, a pile of bodies that closely resembled his friends was on the pathway to the house. "Uh, guys, where'd Scott drive up to?"

"He…went to…Prof. Oak's…lab…" Chisame said weakly.

"Said…he had…to get…to his…press conference…in five minutes…" Brock added. This shocked the raven haired trainer.

"Five minutes?" He gasped. "C'mon guys! We don't want to be late!" Pikachu, who had quickly recovered, grabbed Chamo, hopped onto Ash's shoulder, and ran off in the direction of Oak's lab.

"Ash! Wait up!" Misty hastily gave chase, leaving Delia and Mr. Mime with Brock, Chisame, and Yue. The three were in various states of pain or sickness, and were barely able to lift themselves off the ground.

"Oh my!" Delia stated. "What happened to all of you?"

"Never…get in…a car…when…Scott…will drive…it," Yue groaned flatly.

* * *

Ash, Misty, and Pikachu arrived at Oak's lab just before the broadcast was about to start. They quickly found Professor Oak, as well as his lab assistant, and Ash and Misty's friend, Tracey Sketchit. Tracey had black hair that was kept out of his face with a red hairband. He was wearing a green T-shirt, red shorts, and blue sneakers. The four chatted for a minute, until the producer ordered silence so they could begin.

The producer lifted up his fingers into the air. "We're on in 5…4…3…2…1!"

"Good afternoon," Scott began. "For those who don't know me, my name is Scott. I am the founder, owner, and CEO of the Battle Frontier Corporation. I started the Battle Frontier here in Kanto in order to refine the art of the Pokemon battle. To that end, I built six Battle Facilities in Cerulean Cape, Saffron City, Vermillion City, Fuchsia City, Seafoam Islands, and Viridian City, as well as a roving facility. Out of hundreds of applicants, I selected the seven that would be able to test the knowledge, guts, tactics, luck, spirit, ability, and courage of the challenger to the extreme limits.

"Unfortunately, the first two years were long and hard. Very few challengers participated, or even knew about, the Battle Frontier, and none of them were able to defeat all seven Frontier Brains. I began traveling around the world in search of the one trainer who could best my Brains. My search led me to Ash Ketchum, who was fresh off of his run at the Hoenn League – Ever Grand Championship. Not only did he beat all seven Frontier Brains, but his status as one of the most steady Pokemon Trainers in Kanto has led to hundreds to flock to the Battle Frontier challenge, wishing to be as good as Ash.

"Therefore, with the popularity growing, I have established a new challenge – the Johto Frontier – for Ash to test out. Right now, there are five brand new facilities scattered around the region, ready to test new abilities of a trainer. Once Ash finishes his challenge, the Johto Frontier will open up to be used by every-"

Suddenly, a mechanical hand extended from the sky, and grabbed Pikachu right off of Ash's shoulder. "Pikachu!" Ash grabbed for the Electric Mouse Pokemon, but fell short.

"PIKA-PI!" Two more mechanical arms reached and stole Azurill and Chamo.

"Azurill!" Misty cried.

"Azu! Azurill!" At this time, the rest of the group arrived at the set.

"Chamo!" shouted Yue.

"Hey!" the ermine protested. "Lemmie go, ya damn substitute for magic!"

"Weren't we supposed to keep a lid on the existence of magic?" Chisame wondered. The three creatures were placed into a glass jar, before a ceiling extended across the top. The jar was attached to a hot air balloon that was shaped as the head of a tan catlike creature.

"Hey, what's goin' on here?" Scott demanded.

**"MUHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"** three voices cackled overhead from inside the balloon's green basket. They belonged to two humans, a woman and a man; as well as a catlike creature. The woman had long reddish-purple hair that was gelled so that it curved down to her hips. She had light blue eyes and wore green earrings. Her attire consisted of a white tank top uniform over a black tank top (exposing much of her belly), a white miniskirt, black long-sleeved gloves, and black shoes and tights. A blood red R was on the shirt.

The guy had dull green eyes and blue hair that was cut just long enough that he looked like a girl. He wore a white shirt over a black undershirt, which also had the R on the front, white pants, and black boots and long sleeved gloves. The undershirt was tucked into the pants, which were in turn tucked into the boots.

The cat's face matched the balloon perfectly: Tan fur, large eyes, four whiskers, and a golden coin on its forehead. It also stood on two legs, had a tan and brown tail, and long, brown back paws.

"Prepare for trouble, because we're the supercool!"

"And make it double, for we're going old school!"

"An evil as old at the galaxy!"

"Sent here to fulfill our destiny!"

"With Meowth, dat's me!"

"To protect the world from devastation!"

"To unite all people within our nation!"

"To denounce the evils of truth and love!"

"To extend our reach to the stars above!"

"Jessie!"

"James!"

"And Meowth, now dat's a name!"

"We're Team Rocket, blasting you off at the speed of light!"

"Surrender now, or prepare to fight, fight, fight!"

"Meowth! Dat's right!" A blue….blob appeared.

"Wob-bu-fet!"

"Team Rocket!" Ash, Brock, Tracey, and Prof. Oak said in unison.

"What are you doing here?" Misty demanded.

"What we always do best, of course," the redhead (Jessie) sneered.

"We're taking all of your Pokemon and giving them to the boss!" the blue-haired man (James) stated.

"An' as a side bonus," the cat (Meowth) added, "we get ta' show how da well-renowned Team Rocket conducts its business to some new faces!" He spoke with a high-pitched Brooklyn accent.

Chisame simply stared at the three. Then she sniggered. "…What the heck? Team Rocket? It sounds like something out of a children's cartoon! And why do you guys have such a stupid motto?" Yue did not say anything, but she nodded her head in agreement.

Cue facefault.

"How dare you disrespect both our motto and Team Rocket!" Jessie yelled at the net idol.

"We'll show you how Team Rocket deals with people like you!" James added.

"Dat's right!" Meowth finished.

"Wo-bbu-wobbu!"

"You're not helping, Wobbuffet…" Jessie groaned.

"Wooo-bbu…"

"Pikachu," Ash ordered, "Thunderbolt!" The Electric Mouse Pokemon unleashed a bolt of electricity at the glass case, but it was bounced back at Chamo and Azurill, who were zapped for several seconds until Pikachu stopped.

"Woza…lookat all da pretty gurlz, Negi…they'd beda purfect partners…"

"Azu…azu…"

"After all the times we fell for that," Jessie said, "did you think we would be idiots?"

"That glass container is completely Pokemon-proof!" James declared. "No attacks can get through it!"

"Now to capture the rest of your Pokemon!" stated Jessie, who grabbed two Pokeballs of her own. "Seviper, Yanmega, I choose you!"

"Carnivine, you too!" James stated, pulling out one of his Pokeballs. The two tossed three Pokeballs to the ground, releasing to reveal their Pokemon. Jessie's 1st Pokeball contained a black snake with yellow spots. It had a purple jag down its chest, and its eyes and fangs were blood red. In addition, its tail was in the shape of a knife blade. Her second Pokemon was a giant green and red dragonfly, with red and white wings.

James's Pokemon, much to the amusement of Chamo, was not on the ground, but instead biting the man's head. It looked like a Venus fly trap, as it had a giant nouth for a head, leaves for hands, and colorful vines where it should have feet. Jessie and Meowth looked exasperated, as James tried to yank the Pokemon off without bringing his head with it.

"I am not an afternoon snack; get off me!" He managed to pull Carnivine off of his head, and threw him onto the ground, where he landed alongside Seviper and Yanmega. Yue took out the Pokedex to see who these Pokemon were.

*SEVIPER, THE FANG SNAKE POKÉMON. SEVIPER IS KNOWN FOR ITS ANGRY DISPOSITION, IMMOBILIZING ITS OPPONENTS BY WRAPPING ITS BODY AROUND THEM. ITS SWORD-LIKE TAIL CAN SLASH FOES AND DOUSE THEM WITH POISON.*

*YANMEGA, THE OGRE DARNER POKÉMON. YANMEGA IS THE EVOLVED FORM OF YANMA. WHEN IT FLUTTERS ITS WINGS, IT CREATES A SHOCKWAVE THAT CAN CAUSE INTERNAL DAMAGE TO ITS OPPONENTS.*

*CARNIVINE, THE BUG CATCHER POKÉMON. CARNIVINE LATCHES ONTO TRESS IN MARSHES AND LURES ITS PREY WITH ITS SWEET-SMELLING SALIVA. WHEN IT HANGS FROM TREE BRANCHES, IT LOOKS LIKE A PLANT.*

"And you think we're going to let you guys do that?" Ash yelled. "Not a chance! Staraptor, I choose you!" As the large raptor materialized, the others were already reaching for their own Pokemon.

"Starmie, go!" Misty called.

"Marshtomp, I choose you!" Brock shouted.

"Go, Scyther!" Tracey commanded. A purple twin-starfish with a red jewel, a blue and orange bipedal creature with two black fins, and a green praying mantis appeared, and stood side-by-side with their trainers.

*STARMIE, THE MYSTERIOUS POKEMON. STARMIE IS THE EVOLVED FORM OF STARYU. STARMIE SWIMS THROUGH WATER BY SPINNING ITS STAR-SHAPED BODY AS IF IT WERE A PROPELLER ON A SHIP. THE CORE AT THE CENTER OF THIS POKÉMON'S BODY GLOWS IN SEVEN COLORS.*

*MARSHTOMP, THE MUD FISH POKÉMON, IS THE EVOLVED FORM OF MUDKIP. ITS BODY IS ENCLOSED IN A MEMBRANE ALLOWING IT TO LIVE ON LAND. ITS LOWER BODY IS WELL DEVELOPED, SO IT'S CAPABLE OF WALKING ON TWO LEGS.*

*SCYTHER, THE MANTIS POKÉMON. ITS CLAWS ARE SHARP AS SWORDS, AND IT IS A POWERFUL FLYER. THIS POKÉMON IS RARELY SEEN BY HUMANS AND ALMOST NEVER CAPTURED.*

"Seviper, Poison Fang!" Jessie ordered.

"Carnivine, Bullet Seed!" James said.

"Dodge it!" the others shouted.

Carnivine fired a series of seeds. Both fired their attacks at the four Pokemon. Starmie and Marshtomp jumped out of the way, before being assulted by Seviper. Staraptor and Scyther, being part Flying-type, simply took to the sky, evading both attacks.

"Staraptor, aim for the balloon!" Ash commanded.

"You too, Scyther!" stated Tracey. The two Pokemon began to fly higher, aiming to cut the balloon open…but Ash and Tracey had forgotten about Yanmega, who now flew in the way.

"Yanmega, Ancientpower!" Jessie yelled. The Ogre Darner Pokemon beat its wings furiously, as rocks began to materialize near its mouth. They were launched at Scyther and Staraptor, and quickly downed the two Flying Pokemon. Meanwhile, the battle on the ground wasn't going any better. Starmie and Marshtomp had placed in some timely hits; however, Marshtomp succumbed to Bullet Seed, and as Starmie was about to strike the Bug Catcher Pokemon with an Ice Beam, it was in turn defeated by another Poison Fang from Seviper.

"Now Seviper, Haze!" Jessie stated.

"Ser-viper!" The Fang Snake Pokemon opened his mouth, spewing out a large amount of thick black smoke. It spread out among the trainers, preventing them from seeing each other, nor from seeing Team Rocket begin to scoop up the other Pokemon in the ranch. More importantly, however, they now could not see Seviper or Carnivine.

"(Cough)(Cough) I can't see a (Cough) thing!" Chisame complained.

"(Cough) Neither can we!" Brock hollered. Yue was stumbling around in the haze, trying to look for a clearing. Her hat had blown away in the confusion, and she covered her eyes with her right arm.

"Chisame? Brock? Ash? – OOF?" She was suddenly knocked to the ground by Staraptor, who had crashed into her on the way down. The smoke cleared, and Yue barely had time to react, as Seviper was midway in the air, his tail glowing purple, and ready to strike her. She closed her eyes, and braced herself for the impending strike…

And waited…

And waited…

And waited…

And suddenly…she waited some more.

'_Alright, something's not right here,' _the Baka Ranger thought. She opened her eyes, and saw that the Seviper was frozen in mid-air, its tail already halfway around to strike her. For some reason, she couldn't move, but she was able to look around. She saw Ash was about to make a run towards her, but had broken too late to get to her in time. Delia looked like she was about to pass out at the sight of the Fang Snake Pokemon's impending attack. However, everyone was frozen in place, not so much as breathing.

Well, almost everyone, as a familiar pink cat floated into view.

_What have you been getting into?_

'_Mew!' _she thought, unable to speak.

_This is quite a mess here,_ the New Species Pokemon commented._ I only kept a mental link with you to be sure of your safety, but I didn't imagine you guys would be under attack by the Rockets so quickly._ She floated over to near Ash. _At least no one else is hurt. Still, I think it's time to start unlocking your potential as the Radiant Magi._

'_How?'_

_You really think that the magic book is the only thing that your pactio card does? It amplifies the magic capabilities of the user by several factors._ The New Specie Pokemon paused dramatically. _In other words, you are now capable of becoming on par with your teacher, Negi Springfield._

Mew stared at Yue, as her eyes began to give off a pink glow. A pink glow also formed around the baka ranger. Suddenly, her mind was filled with incantations, spells, and other knowledge of magic that she never had before.

_I've provided you the knowledge that you should need for now. For now, it will only be available to use in times of need. You know how to activate it._

Mew instantly vanished. Time slowly began to return to normal, and Yue found that she could once again move (albeit in relation to time). She reached into her pocket for what looked like a playing card. She took it out, and presented it in front of herself.

"ADEAT!"

* * *

"Se-VIPER?!" The Fang Snake Pokemon had just been about to strike Yue with Poison Tail, but was suddenly repelled backwards, as if he had been struck by a fist. The Poison Pokemon crashed into Jessie, who was knocked down to the ground.

"Jessie!" James exclaimed. "Are you alright?"

"I just got hit in the gut, James, of course I'm alright!" his partner shouted sarcastically. Meowth looked back into the haze, and noticed something odd: a glowing white figure in the middle of the smog.

"Hey guys?" the Cat Scratch Pokemon asked. "Why's da new twoip glowin'?"

"Huh?" they replied, and looked into the smoke as well. Everyone watched in awe and wonder as Yue was bathed in a bright light, her hair being blown upward by a mysterious force. The bright light flashed, and all of a sudden, books started spiraling from the ground, circling the girl. The witch's hat fell onto her head once more, seemingly from nowhere, and she outstretched her arms so that the black cloak could be magically put on her (it appeared to have disappeared from Chisame, much to the net idol's embarrassment). She grasped a broom in her right hand, as her left reached out and selected one of the books from the spiral. The others disappeared, and the book levitated by itself, hovering close to the girl's left hand.

"Ministra Magi Yue Ayase!" The purplette shouted. The others were thoroughly stunned at Yue's transformation.

"My stars!" Prof. Oak exclaimed.

"Wow!" Misty gasped.

"What...just happened?" Brock wondered.

"Oh yes!" Chamo cheered. "Yuecchi's Pactio card, Philosophastra Illustrans! Though it seems a bit stronger than usual at the moment…"

"Woah…" Ash stared awestruck at Yue.

"Pika…" his Pokemon agreed.

"Um James?" Jessie asked. "Should we be worried?"

"I believe so," she stated calmly. "Meowth, what do you think?"

"Don't ask me!" he countered. "Do I look like someon' who knows what just happin'd?"

"Wob-bu-fet!" Yue pointed her broom at the balloon.

"Practe bigi nar! Come wind, thunder spirits. Blow violently with thunder, Storm of the South Seas. Jovias Tempestas!"

A stream of thunder and wind shot forth from the broom, striking both Yanmega and the balloon. The Ogre Darner Pokemon was instantly knocked out; the balloon had two clean holes through the middle. It quickly fell from the sky, with the glass container shattering upon hitting the ground. All the Pokemon inside quickly rushed out of the broken case before the balloon fabric covered it. Pikachu, Azurill, and Chamo raced towards their trainers/friends.

"Pikachu!" Ash cried, as the Electric Mouse Pokemon rushed into his trainer's open arms.

"Pikapi!" A similar reaction was going on with Misty and Azurill.

"You aren't hurt badly, are you?" the Gym Leader asked. Azurill shook its head.

"Azurill! Azurill! Azurill!"

"That's wonderful!" No such reaction of relief happened with Chamo; he merely hopped onto Yue's shoulder.

"Thanks for bailin' us out!" the ermine said. "But where'd ya pick up that sort of magic? Big bro never taught you or Jo-chan that." The Baka Ranger had no real answer.

"I...don't know," she replied honestly. "It just came to me all of a sudden." She then heard a rustling from the balloon. She looked to find Team Rocket struggling to come out from under the balloon basket.

"A-alright, will someone kindly give me an explanation to what type of attack that was just now?" Jessie said to no one in particular.

"I don't think dat was an attack, Jess," Meowth answered. "It seemed more like magic ta me." This surprised James.

"But I thought that talk like that was only in fairy tales or fiction!" he stated.

"Tell dat ta Miss Granger over dere, Jimmy," the Cat Scratch Pokemon replied.

"Snap out of it you two!" ordered jessie. "We still have our Pokemon standing." This was true; while Seviper and Carnivine were both battered, they were still able to stand.

"Right," James replied. "Carnivine, use Wrap on the magical twerp!" The Bug Catcher Pokemon extended his vines to capture Yue, which bound her tightly in place.

"Hey!" Ash shouted. "That's dirty play!"

"When there's an opportunity, you grab it with all you've got!" Jessie protested. "Seviper, Poison Tail!" The Fang Snake Pokemon charged at Yue, his tail glowing purple once again.

"Chamo!" Yue shouted.

"On it!" The ermine, who was not caught in Carnivine's Wrap, leapt onto the ground, and raced at Seviper. When he was within five feet of the snake, he took out a lighter and a roll of snap-fireworks, and set the snap-fireworks alight.

"Ermine Flash!" The bright light temporarily blinded the Fang Snake Pokemon, who swung his tail wildly. The tail struck Carnivine, sending both Pokemon to the ground, and freeing Yue.

"Jeez," Meowth complained. "If ya wan't somethin' done…" The Cat Scratch Pokemon charged at the Baka Ranger. "Alright! Prepare ta getta taste of my Fury Swipes!" Meowth leapt into the air, his claws extending until they were as long as his paws. He prepared to rake Yue…

"**Piplup, Bubblebeam!"**

"Yahhhh-waah!" …but was knocked out of the air by a stream of bubbles. Ash and Yue turned around to find the source of the Bubblebeam.

"Dawn!" shouted Ash.

"Piplup!" the Penguin Pokemon cried in triumph.

"Hey guys!" the bluenette called over as she raced to their position. "Sorry I'm late!"

"No, perfect timing" Brock said. "Nice clothes, by the way."

"Thanks! Mom made them." Dawn had foregone her wool hat, as well as the rest of her original outfit, save for her pink boots, black socks, and Poketch. She now wore a black shoulderless long-sleeved shirt under a pink tank top, along with a black skirt. "Piplup, use Peck!"

"Azurill, Iron Tail!" Misty ordered. Piplup charged at Carnivine, its beak glowing, and began a relentless series of pecks on the Bug Catcher Pokemon. The Penguin Pokemon jumped out of the way to allow Azurill to slam its tail into Carnivine, sending it crashing into Seviper, and landing at the feet of Team Rocket.

Now, it was Ash's turn. "Pikachu, Thunderbolt attack, go!" Pikachu unleashed a lightning bolt that was aimed for Team Rocket. Before it struck the trio, Jessie grabbed Wobbufet and placed the Patient Pokemon in front of them.

"Wobbuffet, Mirror Coat!" Wobbuffet became coated in a glossy film. Just before the Thunderbolt attack struck, it slowed, stopped, and then curved back, towards the group

"No!" Yue stepped in between the group and the attack. "Spirits of the air, breath of the winds, come forth and protect us from the enemy! LIMES AERIALES!"

Yue crossed her hands in front of her, and swung them across her body. The Thunderbolt attack was deflected back to Team Rocket. Wobbuffet couldn't react in time to deflect the attack a second time, and Team Rocket was zapped by the full power of the electric attack.

Yue wasn't finished. "Practe bigi nar…VENTE!" She waved the broom at Team Rocket, and drew a series of circles in the air. Instantly, a tornado surrounded the three, who were sucked up into the vortex, and then spit right out into the sky.

"So, anyone doubtin' my instincts now?" Meowth said, as the trio flew through the air.

"Yes," Jessie groaned, "because you couldn't convince James to call off the mission!"

"Why me?!" James complained. "You were the one to ignore him!"

"We better report this to the boss," she stated. "He's going to want to hear about this."

"Good idea, Jess," Meowth stated. "Talkin' Pokemon are rare, but a powered up human, dat's almost unheard of."

"Wob-buffet."

"LOOKS LIKE TEAM ROCKET'S BLASTING OFF AGAIN!"

"WOOBBUUAA!" They disappeared into the sky, leaving the remaining people and Pokemon to gawk at Yue

"That. Was. Awesome." Chamo stated, with contained excitement. Yue turned to face the group.

"Are you guys okay?" she asked.

"We're all unhurt," Brock stated.

"And we got all of our Pokemon back!" Misty added.

"Azurill! Azurill!" the Polka Dot Pokemon happily agreed. Yue nodded.

"Abeat!" A flash of light engulfed Yue, as the powers granted through the pactio returned to the card. No sooner than she did so, however, she felt very light headed, and quickly blacked out.

* * *

"U-ugh…" Yue woke up on a bed feeling very groggy, and very thirsty. "W-where am I?"

"We're in Professor Oak's bedroom," Chamo said from a nearby chair. "That was a big scare you gave us before. After ya blacked out, Oak and Tracey helped carry you up here."

Yue shot up. "Wait! What happened to Team Rocket!" Chamo was confused.

"Eh? Don't ya remember? Ya used some awesome magic ta blow them away!

"I remember Seviper about to strike me with Poison Tail….After that, everything's cloudy…Chamo, How long was I out?"

"Several hours. It's-"

"Chamo!" Chisame called as she walked in. "What are you doing here?" She was carrying a large pile of clothes.

"Ah, uh…"

"Oak said that we could change in here, so you'd better get out now!"

"Hey, Chiu-Chiu! Can't we talk this OUT?!" The net idol threw Chamo right out of the room, locking the door so that the ermine couldn't come back in.

"You feeling better, Yue?" The Baka Ranger nodded. "Good. Mrs. Ketchum allowed us to take some of Ash's old clothing to wear. She said to get in them before we eat dinner. Here." She tossed a pile of clothes to her, and the two began to change out of the remains of their old clothes. "I heard from Chamo that we can't return home."

"You seem pretty calm about it," Yue noted. The net idol sighed.

"Between Professor Negi and Chao Lingshen, I'm already involved in magic much more than I intended, so this is nothing new," she explained. "Besides, I already vented about our situation already."

"Is that so?" the purplette said. Several seconds of silence followed, as the girls continued to change.

"So, how are we going to get out of this mess?" Chisame asked after some time.

"Simple," replied Yue. "We tag along with Ash and his friends in order to find everyone else. By then, we should be able to figure out a way to get back home." Chisame did not particularly like that plan.

"And get attacked by crazy nutjobs like those Rockets?" she stated. "I don't think so, unless you can defend us like last time." The Bibliomaniac shhook her head.

"I can't. Everything's so foggy, as if something was preventing me from recalling these events." Yue paused. "Maybe…"

"Maybe what?" the redhead asked.

"It's nothing. But I have a plan." Yue finished putting on what were Ash's old Kanto traveling clothes. It was a good thing that the two were about the same size heightwise, as the clothes fit perfectly. She went over to a mirror to see how she looked. She wore a blue zipperless jacket over a black t-shirt. The sleeves and inside collar were white, and the pockets and jacket bottom were yellow. The jeans managed to hang onto her waist without the need for a belt, so she threw it aside. She bent down and tied the laces of her new sneakers, which were white with black sides, and a red circle. The last part of the outfit that she took was a hat; it was red with a white front, and had a green three-quarters triangle on the white front.

As she got up, Yue noticed that Chisame was done getting into what were Ash's Hoenn adventure clothes, although squeezing would probably be a better word. The blue and black sleeved sweat-tee fit snugly, but the pants would have been far too tight for her tastes, so Delia had cut them into shorts. Chisame was a bit embarrassed to be wearing them in public, but since they were the only things available, she had to make do.

"Food's on the table!" Tracey called from downstairs.

"Thanks!" Yue replied, and she and Chisame went to rejoin the others. Coming down the stars, they saw that the others were already eating, with Mr. Mime and Delia busy cooking and delivering the food to the table. Delia had made new clothes for Ash, and he was now wearing a white and blue short sleeved jacket, which was zipped up, and had two black outlines of a semi-circle. His black jeans were tucked into red and black shoes, and he wore black and red fingerless gloves. His hat was red and white, with a blue Pokeball on the front.

Brock had also changed his attire as well. He now wore a orange deep V-neck long sleeved shirt over a black undershirt, green cargo pants, and orange shoes. He also wore an oversized black belt, with the end hanging down a few inches from the waist. Chisame muttered something about hippies as Yue took in the breeder's new outfit. "Where did you get those clothes, Brock?"

"Dawn gave them to me. She said that she stopped in Pewter City just after we left, and Mom gave the clothes to her, since she forgot to give them to me with the gym crisis going on." He paused, sighing. "They're probably one of the few good things that came out of their vacation." Dinner passed by without much incident. Scott explained some of the particulars of the Johto Frontier to Ash and Brock, Delia chatted away with Dawn and Misty about the latest happenings, and Prof. Oak and Tracey inquired with Chamo about the particulars of their world. Chisame and Yue were already quiet to begin with, so they just ate in relative silence. But whenever Chisame looked at the Baka Ranger, the net idol saw that she was deep in thought.

Finally, near the end of dinner, Yue stood up, gaining everyone's attention. "Professor?"

"Hm? What is it, Yue?" Professor Oak asked.

"I want to be a Pokemon Trainer," she stated bluntly. Stunned silence filled the room, as everyone began to register what Yue had said.

"Oh?" Oak raised a curious eyebrow.

"Yuecchi, are you serious?" Chamo asked. The Baka Ranger nodded.

"No way!" Dawn gasped. Chisame was shocked as well.

"This is your plan?" the net idol said. "Go on a crazy journey across the world, getting hung up with every person who wants to fight you, instead of actually finding clues about where our – no, your friends are, or finding a way home? I thought you had the most logic out of everyone in Class 3-A!" Yue turned to face her, sipping her glass of Yache berry juice.

"I still am thinking logically," she replied. "But logic dictates that you take the most practical choice there is. How can we look for our classmates or a return trip home if we don't have clues? How can we even look for clues if we are unarmed in a world where both people and Pokemon will sometimes not hesitate to attack us? Therefore, logic tells me that the practical choice is to arm ourselves. You don't have to take this path, but I will." After that long-winded sermon, no one could really argue with her.

"Very well," Oak responded, as Chamo leapt onto his shoulder. "Come with me." Yue followed the professor up a set of stairs into a lab room. Chisame, Tracey, Ash, Dawn, Brock, and Misty also tagged along. In the center of the room was a podium-like object, which held three Pokeballs that were arranged in a triangle. Oak took one of the Pokeballs off the podium.

"The first task of a Pokemon trainer is to select their starting Pokemon. This Pokemon will be with you throughout your adventures as a trainer, and will be the closest Pokemon to your heart. The first Pokemon that-"

"Wait," Yue interrupted, pulling out her Pactio card. "Adeat." She transformed into her Pactio appearance.

"Something up?" Dawn questioned.

"No. I just want to present myself with my full abilities, so that there are no surprises."

"Good call," Tracey remarked. "Not every Pokemon accepts a trainer, so accepting a trainer with abilities that are on par with theirs could be even tougher."

"Very true, very true," Oak remarked. "Anyway, here is the first Pokemon you can choose, Bulbasaur, the Grass-type." The Pokeball opened, and a light blue speckled toad appeared on the ground. It had a green bulb on its back, and bright red eyes.

"Bulbasaur," it growled. Yue took out Ash's Pokedex.

*BULBASAUR, THE SEED POKEMON. IT BEARS THE SEED OF A PLANT ON ITS BACK FROM BIRTH, WHICH THEN SLOWLY DEVELOPS THROUGHOUT ITS LIFETIME. BULBASAUR ARE EXTREMELY CALM AND ARE DIFFICULT TO CAPTURE IN THE WILD.*

The Bulbasaur looked curiously at Yue. "Bulba?"

"Hey Yuecchi," Chamo called out to her. "Catch!" The ermine threw a small wand to her, which she caught. The handle was purple, with a yellow crescent moon at one end.

"If you're set on showin' magic to the Pokemon," he explained, "ya might as well do the basic of basics, right?"

"Good idea." She then looked at her magical encyclopedia. "Let's see, Practe Bigi Nar…Ardescat!"

A small flame appeared at the end of the wand, impressing many of the people in the room.

"Ah!" Oak said.

"Amazing!" Dawn exclaimed.

"I know we saw what magic did to Team Rocket," Tracey remarked, "but it's still amazing to see it first hand, no matter how many times you watch!" Bulbasaur didn't think so. The display frightened the poor Seed Pokemon, who darted under a table leg. Yue quickly snuffed out the flame and approached Bulbasaur, kneeling down while extending her hand out to touch it.

"Don't worry," the Baka Ranger said. "I'm not here to hurt you." It was no use; the Seed Pokemon quickly moved away from her, and hid behind Prof. Oak's legs.

"B-Bul…ba…Bulba…"

"I guess Bulbasaur's too scared of you," Prof. Oak conjectured, as he returned the Seed Pokemon to its Pokeball, placing it back on the podium. "I expected as much, though; this Bulbasaur was rather timid, and the spell that you used did produce fire, which, being a Grass Type, Bulbasaur is weak to. Next is the Fire Type, Charmander." He grabbed another Pokeball and released an orange bipedal lizard. Its tail ended in a small flame.

*CHARMANDER, THE LIZARD POKEMON. A FLAME BURNS ON THE TIP OF ITS TAIL FROM BIRTH. IT IS SAID THAT A CHARMANDER DIES IF ITS FLAME EVER GOES OUT.*

"Alright," Yue said. " Let's try this again. Practe Bigi Nar…Ardescat!"

The flame reappeared, instantly grabbing the Charmander's attention. It stared intently at the flame, before its eyes narrowed. "Charmander-Char! Cha-Char-mander-Charmander-mander-Char!"

"Whoah, slow down bro!" Chamo said. "I can't understand what you're saying if you're talking too fast!" The Lizard Pokemon immediately turned its head in the ermine's direction, and fired a stream of embers at him.

"OW! HOT! IT BURNS! STOP IT! Ugh, first Pikachu gives me a shock, now I – AHH! MY TAIL'S ON FIRE! HELP ME! SOMEBODY!" He hopped on the floor and ran around in circles, until Azurill used Water Gun to put out the fire. "Ahhh…thanks sis!"

"Azurill! Azurill! Az!" The Polka Dot Pokemon simply bounced in place, before turning to Charmander. "Azu, Azurill-Azurill, Zu!"

"Charmander, Char-Charmander. Mander."

"Rill?" Piplup decided to join in on what was going on.

"Pip?"

"Char, Mander-mander." Whatever Charmander said ticked off the the two Water Types.

"Azuuuu…"

"Pippp…"

"Charrrr…" Before the three Pokemon began to duke it out, Prof. Oak returned Charmander to its Pokeball.

"I'm sorry, Chamo," he apologized. "This Charmander always was proud that it was the only Pokemon that could hold a small and steady flame here at the ranch. What was he saying, by the way?"

"I didn't get it all," the ermine replied, "but it sounded like he was not happy that Yue could hold a flame. And when he saw me speak, he thought I was the same as her."

"So two Pokemon down without any affection towards Yue," Misty remarked. Oak nodded.

"It appears so. That leaves-" Suddenly, the last Pokeball burst open, revealing a small, bipedal, blue-skinned turtle. It was small, had a brown shell, and a shiny bald head. It approached Azurill and Piplup. "Squirtle, Squirt-Squirt-Squirtle?"

"Azurill-az, Rill-Azurill! Azurill-rill!"

"Piplup, Pip-piplup!"

"Squirtle-Squirtle-Squirtle-squirt-squirtle, Squirt-squirtle."

"Azu!" While this was going on, Chisame gawked in amazement.

"What the heck?" the net idol exclaimed. "You guys have freakin' koopas?"

"I don't know what a 'koopa' is," Oak said, "but this is Squirtle, the Water Type starter. He's a curious one, and is always poking around here and there."

"Wow!" Dawn gasped, taking out her Pokedex. "It's so cute!"

*SQUIRTLE, THE TINY TURTLE POKEMON. THIS TINY TURTLE POKEMON DRAWS ITS LONG NECK INTO ITS SHELL TO LAUNCH INCREDIBLE WATER ATTACKS WITH AMAZING RANGE AND ACCURACY. THE BLASTS CAN BE QUITE POWERFUL.*

"Yue, the flame!" Ash reminded.

"Right. Practe Bigi Nar…Ardescat!"

As soon as the flame appeared, Squirtle turned towards Yue. Instead of being frightened or jealous, like the other starters, the Tiny Turtle Pokemon ran up to her, climbing onto her shoulder to get a better look at the flame.

"Squir…" He tried to get closer by going on her arm, but was too heavy, and forced the arm down, making the Tiny Turtle Pokemon fall to the ground. He landed on his back, near Dawn. When he opened his eyes, Squirtle blushed madly in embarrassment, as he was staring up her skirt. He jumped back quickly.

"S-quirtle! S-quirt-Squirtle-t-tle-squirt!"

"He's certainly lively," Misty giggled.

"And he wasn't afraid of Yue's magic," Brock added.

"He reminds me of Big Bro," Chamo analyzed. Chisame raised an eyebrow.

"And you're sure that's a good thing?" she asked. Yue kneeled down near Squirtle, who turned around to face her.

"You weren't scared by my magic just then?" she asked. The Tiny Turtle Pokemon shook its head.

"Squirt. Squirtle, Squirt-squirt."

"I'm journeying to find my friends, who are most likely scattered around the world. They all have abilities similar to mine. Can you help me on my quest to find them?"

Squirtle thought about what she had just said, before getting a determined look in his eyes. "Squirt," he nodded. A small smile formed on the Baka Ranger's lips.

"Thank you," she said.

"Alright!" Ash cheered.

"Pi-Pikachu!"

"Congratulations!" Misty added.

"Azurill! Azurill!"

"Pip-Piplup!"

"That's great!" Oak exclaimed. "Tracey?"

"Yes professor!" He disappeared into a storage closet, returning with a cart. On it were five Pokeballs and a red Pokedex. Oak took them and gave them to Yue. Squirtle was on her shoulder.

"Here are your Pokeballs and Pokedex. And here," he said, taking another Pokeball out of his pocket, "is Squirtle's. Remember to raise him with love and care."

"I will," she said. For the second time in three minutes, she allowed a smile to grace her. "Now if you will excuse me, there's something that I really need to do."

"Oh? What is it?"

Yue quickly turned around and raced downstairs, as Squirtle fell to the floor. "I need to use the bathroom!"

* * *

The next day, everyone was ready to set out for the Johto region. "Thanks again for the hospitality, Mrs. Ketchum," Brock thanked, bowing.

"You know you're always welcome, Brock!" Delia replied.

"Your first stop on the Battle Frontier challenge is Violet City," Scott said. "I'll be waiting to see you there."

"Alright," Ash responded.

"Pika!"

"Yue, Chisame, Chamo, Squirtle," Prof. Oak addressed. "Normally I'd say something about how your journey will be for you. But since you fall on a different path than those who have left Pallet Town in the past, all I can say is good luck. I'll let my grandson Gary know of your situation, and see if he can be of assistance in any way to you."

"You might want to hurry up," Yue suggested. "I'm not sure how long he'll survive with Paru." Chisame groaned.

"Wait, Haruna's left alone with a boy of our age?" she replied worriedly.

"Squirt, Squirtle-squirt-squirt?"

"Trust me bro," Chamo advised, "you don't want to know what that girl does in her free time."

"And Dawn," Tracey said to the young coordinator, "there's a Pokemon Contest being held in Cherrygrove City in a few days."

"Okay, thanks!" Dawn replied.

"Pip-piplup!"

"So guys," Misty said, "let's go! It's off to Cherrygrove City!" Ash and Brock looked confused.

"Uh, Misty," Brock asked, "Don't you have to go back to Cerulean City to run the gym?"

"I'm on a training journey right now," the redhead explained, "and I happen to be heading in the same direction that you guys are heading in. Besides, I've tutored Daisy into becoming a competent Gym Leader."

"Heh, so it's just like old times again," Ash remarked.

"Yup," the Water Type trainer replied.

"Azu-Azurill!"

"Don't forget about me, Yuecchi, and Chiucchi here!" Chamo stated. "We still need to find our classmates and Big Bro as well!"

"Don't worry, Chamo," Dawn replied. "We'll keep an eye out for them!"

"Alright," Ash waived back. "Goodbye guys!"

"Pika-pika!"

"Good luck, Ash!" Delia called.

"You too, Dawn!" Tracey shouted.

"Thanks for everything!" Brock replied.

"We'll do our best to help you guys from here!" assured Professor Oak.

"Ash!" Delia called out. "Remember to change your-!"

"Mo-om!" groaned the raven haired trainer.

**To Be Continued...**


	6. A Tale of Two Pokemon

_I am HORRIBLY sorry for making all of you guys wait so long for the next chapter. As anyone who has been monitoring my other works know, I've been inundated with non-FFN business since April, and am only just getting back on track. More frequent updates will be expected in the future months for all of my stories (PWS and TatMRX fans, you're next)._

From Pete the Rock: I can almost imagine the beginning: "'Twas the best of time, 'twas the worst of times." -Charles Dickens.

First off, the motto was more of a mix of the original and Battle Frontier, not Sinnoh. Plus, I still see Jotoh when it should be "Johto" and what were you trying to type with "gn nttr," when Jessie ordered Wobbuffet to use Mirror Coat and "ssssssr ey" with Azurill speaking? I was taken aback a bit that Oak didn't explain that Bulbasaur, being a Grass-Type, is weak against Fire. Also, didn't Ash's Hoenn jeans have zippers at the knees that could be unzipped and removed? I looked hard at those pants and thought those could be removed though it was never demonstrated in the anime. Further reading, Seviper cannot learn Poison Sting, even by TM.

As for having my catchphrase on a t-shirt, I think I should do that. Thanks for the suggestion. And the quick-love vs. gradual romance, none taken. To each his/her own. Sorry if this was a long-winded review. There was so much that came to my attention. Oh, well. KIU!

From KKid: You have no idea how much I am grateful for you pointing out my rookie mistakes, even when I accidently forget to fix them. Everything for the last chapters should be corrected…I think. Sorry for that. And as I stated, Chisame was too big to fit into the jeans, so Delia cut them into jean shorts, similar to the ones worn by the female trainer in B/W. Here's to both of us to keep working hard! I can't wait for the final installment of your Population series of Pokemon/Digimon crossovers!

From SonicAnime2010: Wow! This'll be good, Yue training pokemon.. that'll be an interesting site to see. I wonder if Evangeline is gonna appear in this fanfic. That'll be really interesting considering from a preview it looks like Negi will appear. I can't wait for the next chapter

From KKid: She's going to be in Jotoh for a while, and has no magic ability yet; she understood that she needed to have some way of defending herself. As for Eva, out of my three Negima crossovers (this, Code Lyoko-ne!, and Magister of Zero), she sees the least amount of action here, appearing only in canon when Negi and co. return to Mahora to stop Chao. Hopefully, I won't drive all my readers away before then. It's gonna be a long road before then.

From Gwonbush: Good story, however I do not think it is for me.

From KKid: Er, thanks? (confused)

From everyone else: (no review)

From KKid: Shame on you all…

_I'm not entirely happy with this chapter in the later half, so like with a few other chapters in my collection of stories, this might be redone over the summer. For now, though, enjoy!_

* * *

**Chapter VI: A Tale of Two Pokemon**

On a bright, sunny day like it currently was on the slopes of Mount Silver, one wouldn't even think once of staying indoors. Then again, one wasn't quite like Giovanni, the infamous leader of Team Rocket. Wearing a green suit with yellow trim, red shoulders, and black shoes, the intimidating leader was doing what he most enjoyed on bright, sunny days like today at their headquarters in the Mount Silver area – stare out of his office window at the inhospitable terrain that surrounded headquarters. He ran his hand through his light brown hair, and almost seemed to smile.

*SIR, TEAM 562-J IS ON HOLD. THEY WISH TO SPEAK TO YOU PERSONALLY.*

That smile officially faded to a frown upon his secretary's announcement. Team 562-J was the official designation for agents Jessie, James, and Meowth. While they had had very big success for the first few years of their existence, they began to fall apart after an encounter with what they called a very powerful Pikachu. Extenuating circumstances concerning a certain pet project of his made him miss his chance of testing the trainer of this Pokemon himself, he was impressed with film of the Pikachu in battle, and was impressed enough to authorize its capture. Four years later, however, their operation was still incomplete, and was becoming a money pit of waste. True, the three were the first agents to arrive in Hoenn and Sinnoh, and had a knack for reconnaissance,

They were otherwise driving him to the point of Blacklisting the three. And nobody in Team Rocket wants to know the fate of the Blacklist.

Giovanni walked over to his desk, and pressed a button on his phone. "Patch them through on line three!" he ordered.

*YES SIR.*

On the opposite side of the room, a projector screen began to lower. The sudden movement awoke a large tan feline creature that had black-tipped ears, four prominent whiskers, and a red jewel in its forehead. The Pokemon yawned, before lazily walking over towards Giovanni, who took a seat in his chair at his desk. The Pokemon hopped into the lap of the Team Rocket leader, who began to gently stroke its fur.

"Myaowr…" the Pokemon happily purred.

"If only all of my agents were as good at capturing a trainer's Pokemon as you are at being laid-back, Persian," Giovanni lamented. Just then, the screen burst to life, as the all-too-familiar faces of the Team Rocket Trio.

The three bowed at the camera. _"It is an honor to speak with you, Master Giovanni."_ The leader sighed.

"How much money do you three need this time?" he demanded.

"_Uh, about a couple hundred – YEOW! That hurt!"_

"_Quit your babbling, James! That's not the reason that we called!"_

"So you mean to say that you've finally managed to capture the trainer's Pikachu?"

"_Eh, unfortunately, not that either," _Jessie admitted. Giovanni frowned.

"So if this isn't a call for another loan or a confirmation of capture, I don't have the time. There are far more successful teams that I-"

"_Wait!" _Meowth begged. _"It's about something dat we saw on our last mission!"_

"You've said that you've seen things many times beforehand of legendary Pokemon that turned out to be nothing but dust. Why would I believe you this time?"

"_Because dis time, it's not even a Pokemon."_ Now Giovanni was intrigued.

"Oh?"

"_Lucky for us dat I installed a dual-titanium plated camera on the balloon last week, otherwise you wouldn't believe what I'm about ta tell you."_ The Cat Scratch Pokemon fumbled with a silver family video recorder, turning it so that the lens was facing him, and the monitor was facing the Team Rocket leader. _"Though it'd probably be better if I showed you foirst."_ Meowth clicked the Play button, and let the film roll.

"_Now Seviper, Haze!"_

"_Ser-viper!"_

"_(Cough)(Cough) I can't see a (Cough) thing!"_

"_(Cough) Neither can we!"_

"_Chisame? Brock? Ash? – OOF?"_ The Team Rocket leader wasn't amused, and was about to cut the conversation off…

"ADEAT!" His attention was suddenly brought back to life when a bright light engulfed the screen. When it subsided, he noticed that the purple-haired girl, who had formerly been wearing tattered clothing, was now dressed in a curious cross between a Halloween costume and a schoolgirl.

"_Ministra Magi Yue Ayase!"_

"_My stars!" _

"_Wow!"_

"_What happened?" _

"_Oh yes! Yuecchi's Pactio card, Philosophastra Illustrans! Though it seems a bit stronger than usual at the moment…" _Giovanni was taken aback that not only did the voice come from a Pokemon, it was of a Pokemon that he had never before seen.

"_Practe bigi nar! Come wind, thunder spirits. Blow violently with thunder, Storm of the South Seas. Jovias Tempestas!"_

_**!BOOM! **_A bolt of lightning fell from the sky, briefly shorting out the camera. When it returned on, part of the balloon was covering the lens.

"_Will someone kindly give me an explanation to what type of attack that was just now?"_

"_I don't think dat was an attack, Jess. It seemed more like magic ta me."_

"_But I thought that talk like that was only in fairy tales or fiction!"_

"_Tell dat ta Miss Granger over dere, Jimmy."_

"_Pikachu, Thunderbolt attack, go!"_

"_Wobbuffet, Mirror Coat!"_

"_PIKACHUUU!"_

"_Wob-a-a-a-a-fe-e-t!_

"_No! Spirits of the air, breath of the winds, come forth and protect us from the enemy! LIMES AERIALES!" _Using only her arms, the girl deflected the attack right back at Team Rocket, zapping them again.

"_Practe bigi nar…VENTE!" _She waved the broom at Team Rocket, and drew a series of circles in the air. Instantly, a tornado surrounded the three, who were sucked up into the vortex, and then spit right out into the sky.

"_LOOKS LIKE TEAM ROCKET'S BLASTING OFF AGAIN!" _The camera shut off.

Giovanni was quite surprised, to say the least. "A magical girl?"

"_Yeah! Just like in da anime shows in prime time!"_

"This is quite an amazing discovery. If she can be on our side, not even the Elite Four can stand in our presence. Continue observing that girl and her mystery Pokemon. They are your number one priority. And ensure that she is kept ALIVE. A dead magical girl is not a magical girl at all. I'll allocate a bigger salary to assist you. Are your orders clear?"

"_Yes sir!"_

"Good. Dismissed." The screen faded to black, as a smirk ran across Giovanni's face

"It's true; those three can't capture a Magikarp to save their lives," he remarked. "But they still prove themselves useful at other tasks."

* * *

We find our heroes traveling down Route 29, heading towards Cherrygrove City, and Dawn's first Pokemon Contest. Along the way, they stop alongside a quiet meadow in order to have a lunch, as well as plan for the days ahead.

"It's rather surprising that Kanto and Jotoh have almost the same geographical location as Japan," Chamo remarked. He, Brock, and Misty were crowding behind Chisame's laptop, which displayed a map of the Pokemon world. "For example. Vermillion City is right where Chiba would be, an' Violet City is on the same location as Nagoya."

"Yeah," Chisame commented. _'I just hope that there isn't a nutcase magic school where Mahora Academy is. Wait – what if this world is a mirror image of ours, and we have doubles of ourselves wandering around here? Oh god, I'm already fed up dealing with one Class 3-A!"_

"So Brocko," Chamo continued. "How much longer will it take to reach Cherrygrove City?"

"Not long," the spiky haired teen replied. "We're a little under a third of the way there right now, so after another third, we can set up camp for the night, and by this time tomorrow, be able to reach Cherrygrove."

"With a full day before the contest," Misty added.

"We're going to have to camp out in the woods?" the net idol asked, raising a curious eyebrow.

"We stopped last night at Professor Elm's Lab in New Bark Town," Brock reminded her. "That was the last town between Pallet and Cherrygrove."

"Ah, yeah," Chisame shuddered at the thought of sleeping out in the wilderness.

"So you'll be heading north towards Violet City after the contest, right?" Misty asked.

"Yeah," Brock nodded. "Not only is the Battle Factory located there, but so is Dawn's first gym battle as well."

"It's a shame that I can't go with you guys," the Water Pokemon trainer lamented.

"Eh?" Chamo wondered. "Why not?"

"I'm heading to the Whirl Islands, so I need to cut across to Goldenrod City. I'll stay to watch Dawn's Contest, though."

"Participating in the Whirl Cup again, Misty?" Brock asked.

"Ah, you could say so…" At that moment, Azurill and Piplup, who were playing a game of tag, bounced/ran right in front of them. Azurill, being the one who was bouncing, sailed right over where Chisame was sitting. Piplup, however, could not, and hopped right onto the net idol's keyboard, unintentionally pressing many keys before continuing his pursuit of the Polka Dot Pokemon.

"HEY!" Chisame yelled. "Watch where you're running! This thing cost me a lot of money!" She then looked back at the screen, and nearly gasped. At least a dozen pictures of her in various poses and outfits were on the screen, ranging from schoolgirl to bikini and even bunny rabbit with a carrot.

"A-ah, u-h…" She slowly turned around. Misty had her hand over her mouth, surprised. Brock was stunned as well, but was starting to drool. Chamo, the only one used to seeing such things, merely snickered.

"Not. A. Word," she ordered.

"Aw c'mon, Chiu-Chiu," Chamo groaned. "They already know about magic, so it should only be fair that they know your status as a ne-URGH?"

"If you don't shut up, they'll know your status on living!" the net idol threatened, her fist still on the ermine's head.

"M-mochia…" he uttered. On the other side of the campsite, Ash, Dawn, and Yue were just finishing lunch, when their attention was diverted to a rustling in the grass, followed by a purple head poking out in the grass.

"What's that?" the Baka Ranger wondered as she pulled out her Pokedex.

"A Rattata," Ash said. "They're quite common around here."

*RATTATA. THE MOUSE POKEMON. RATTATA WILL SETTLE DOWN WHEREVER FOOD IS AVAILABLE, AND PRODUCE OFFSPRING CONTINUOUSLY. THEY ALSO COME OUT INTO OPEN FIELDS TO STEAL FOOD FROM STUPID TRAVELERS.*

"It's so cute," Dawn commented. Ash shook his head.

"Yeah, but their fangs will chew on anything, and they multiply fast."

"Pika-pika," the Electric Mouse Pokemon agreed.

"Still," Yue noted, "a Pokemon is a Pokemon." She reached into her bag for a Pokeball, and got into a throwing stance. Ash saw this, and tried to stop her.

"Yue, wait-!"

"Pokeball, go!" The purplette couldn't be stopped in time, however, and threw the Pokeball at the Mouse Pokemon. It landed in the dirt, before hitting the Rattata in the face. The Pokeball opened, and released a jagged red beam at the Mouse Pokemon, engulfing it in the red light before vanishing into the device. It fell to the ground, and began rocking back and forth, making a beeping noise as it did.

Yue calmly walked to the still-shaking Pokeball, and picked it up, while inspecting it for the beeping noise. "I thought my first capture wouldn't be this easy, but-"

**!POP!** The Pokeball opened, and in a flash of light, the Rattata materialized right in Yue's face. Clearly startled, the Baka Ranger was knocked to the ground by the Mouse Pokemon, who proceeded towards the remains of her sandwich.

"H-huh?" she gasped. "Shouldn't the Rattata be-?"

"You didn't weaken it first," Dawn explained. "Using your Pokemon, you have to lower the wild Pokemon's health, then throw a Pokeball."

"R-right," she said, turning towards her Squirtle, who was also playing tag with Piplup and Azurill. "Squirtle, can you help me catch a Pokemon?"

The Tiny Turtle Pokemon was slightly confused, before seeing the Rattata. "Squirtle-squirt!" He ran over to the Mouse Pokemon. "Squirtle-squirt-squirt-squirtle!"

"Rattata?" The Mouse Pokemon turned to face Squirtle. "Rattata!"

"Squirtle, use, um…"

"What's wrong, Yue?" Ash asked, concerned.

"Pika-pi?"

"Professor Oak never told me any of Squirtle's attacks," she sighed. Ash, Dawn, Pikachu, Squirtle, and even Rattata facefaulted.

"Ah, check the Pokedex again," Ash said as he regained his composure. "It can tell you what moves a Pokemon knows." The Baka Ranger pulled out the Pokedex again.

*THIS SQUIRTLE KNOWS TACKLE, BUBBLE, AND AQUA JET.*

"Okay. Squirtle, use Tackle." The Tiny Turtle Pokemon charged at the Rattata, and did a full-body tackle into the Mouse Pokemon, who was knocked a few feet back.

"R-rattata!" It then tried to turn tail and run away, but Yue would have none of that.

"Let's go, Squirtle!"

"Squirt-squirtle!" The two followed the Mouse Pokemon into the bushes.

"Will those two be alright?" Dawn wondered.

"Don't worry," Ash reassured. "Yue seems to be a fast learner, so she'll be just fine. There's no need to worry."

"Squirrrrr!" Yue and Squirtle suddenly came back through the foliage, and ran past the two trainers. They were followed shortly by the Rattata – and its 39 angry buddies.

"RATTATA!"

"AAH!" Dawn screamed, as she and Ash ran to avoid getting trampled by the pack of Rattata. Eventually, they caught up with Yue.

"Now I know why mom always worries the most when I say that!" the blunette yelled.

"Can't you just use your magic against them?" Ash asked the Baka Ranger.

"I already told you! I don't remember doing any of that!" Pikachu decided to take matters into his own hands – er, paws.

"Pi-KACHUUU!" The Electric Mouse Pokemon unleashed a Thunderbolt attack, which hit all of the Rattata. Stunned (literally, in some instances), the pack ran off, knowing better than to fight such a powerful opponent.

"Phew," Ash sighed. "Thanks a bunch, Pikachu."

"Pikachu." Brock, Misty, Chisame, and Chamo, who all heard the commotion, soon walked over.

"What happened?" The Pokemon Breeder asked.

"Yue was trying to make her first Pokemon catch," Dawn explained.

"Oh!" Misty exclaimed. "What was it? Did you catch it?"

"It was a Rattata," Yue stated. "When Squirtle and I tried to battle it, it tried to run away. We gave chase, but when we cut through the bushes, it had joined up with a pack of Rattata. Against two or three we could have done it, but we were facing a few dozen…"

"Squir…" the Tiny Turtle Pokemon sighed.

"Hey," Chamo said, "don't get so down over a single battle. You're sure to catch hundreds of Pokemon by the time we find Jo-chan and Paru! After all, how hard can it be to catch a Pokemon?"

"Actually," Brock stated, "it's much harder than you think."

"Eh?"

"To capture a Pokemon," Misty explained, "you must first make sure that there is no possible way for the wild Pokemon to escape except by defeating all of yours. Then, using your own Pokemon, you must battle the Pokemon to lower its health, or earn its trust. Finally, you can throw the Pokeball at it, but even then, it can still escape."

"So basically it's anyone's game when the battle starts," Chisame inferred. Brock nodded.

"Correct. Since you're still new to the process, it might be best to do a few practice sessions when we stop for the night."

"That's a great idea!" Dawn exclaimed. "Right, Yue?" The purplette thought about the offer.

"I'll even coach you through the motions," Ash offered.

"…Okay. But only once we set up camp."

* * *

"Hello?"

"Hello? Hello? hello? he..o? h…lo?"

"Is anybody there?"

"Is anybody there? Is anybody there? is anybody there? is an..ody th..e? …anybo..ere?"

"Oh dear…" hearing the echo of his own voice was not what Professor Negi Springfield had hoped for. Over the past few days, he had been wandering around aimlessly in a dark, dank cave. He was fortunate enough to have a few energy bars on his person, so while he was hungry, he wouldn't starve to death. However, supplies were now low, raising the urgency of finding the exit of the cave. On top of that, Negi lost all of his Pactio cards somewhere in the darkness. Since Chamo was the only one who could procure the Pactio cards, the child mage couldn't locate where his partners were.

This left the young child mage wandering in the darkness of what he would later find out to be Rock Tunnel, with only his staff and the occasional sounds of the Pokemon to keep him company.

'_I do hope that everyone is doing alright," _he thought. _"I feel confident in Setsuna, Kaede, and Asuna, since they have the experience and artifacts or like objects to help them. Same with Haruna and Ku Fei. But Yue and Nodoka haven't learned to effectively use magic yet, Konoka is only skilled in healing arts, and Chisame doesn't even have a weapon on her. And I can't even find an exit with my magic…'_

* * *

"Hichoo!"

"Gesundheit," Ash said.

"Pika, pika."

"Somehow," Chamo said to Brock, "I feel like I'm being forgotten out of somethin'. You ever get that feeling?"

"Ah, maybe a few times," the breeder admitted.

"Hey you two," Chisame called. "I think the stew is done."

"Right." It was evening, and the group had set up camp for the night. Brock, along with Chamo, were making the final touches on dinner. Dawn and Yue were having a mock capture battle, in which the purplette had to get Dawn's Pokemon into a situation in which it cannot resist capture. Squirtle was on the field, Misty was the judge, and Ash was next to Yue, guiding her through the battle.

"You did pretty well against Buneary last time," the blunette praised, "so now, I'll raise the challenge level. Quilava, spotlight!"

Dawn's Pokeball revealed a cream and blue furred weasel-like creature. On its head and back were a series of red spots.

"Quil-LAVA!" Flames suddenly shot out from the spots, making the creature look more like a hedgehog than a weasel.

"Woah, momma!" Chamo exclaimed.

"A Quilava?" Ash asked, surprised.

"Yeah! Cyndaquil evolved before I left for Kanto."

* QUILAVA, THE VOLCANO POKÉMON. QUILAVA IS THE EVOLVED FORM OF CYNDAQUIL. QUILAVA INTIMIDATES FOES WITH ITS FLAME'S HEAT, AND WHEN READY TO BATTLE, THE FIRE BURNS WITH MORE STRENGTH. ITS BODY IS COVERED WITH FIRE-PROOF FUR AND CAN WITHSTAND ANY FIRE-TYPE ATTACK.*

"So it's a Fire-type…" Yue commented, snapping her Pokedex shut. "With Squirtle being a Water-type, we have the advantage."

"Squirtle-squirt!"

"Yeah," Ash said, "but Quilava also has more experience than Squirtle, so it's a lot stronger. Remember to be on your guard at all times."

"Okay." Misty looked at the two Pokemon.

"Begin!"

"Quil-lava!" The Volcano Pokemon wasted no time in starting. It curled up into a ball and began to roll at Squirtle. The dodge command wasn't necessary for the Tiny Turtle Pokemon to understand what it was doing; he leaped out of the way, avoiding the attack by inches.

"That was Rollout!" Ash declared. Yue saw that Quilava was coming back around for another pass.

"Use Bubble!" Squirtle inhaled, and blew out a series of bubbles aimed at the Volcano Pokemon. Quilava, however, rolled right threw them, and steamrolled over poor Squirtle.

"Agh!"

"What?" Chamo gawked. "Shouldn't a Water attack snuff out Fire-types?"

"Quilava's at too high a level for attacks like that to do much damage!" The Volcano Pokemon made a broad turn to strike again.

"Aqua Jet!" Squirtle recovered, and became enveloped in a watery cocoon. Taking off in a blast of water, the Tiny Turtle Pokemon flew into the air, before arcing downward at Quilava, who jumped into the air to meet him. The two attacks collided, with water and flames spraying everywhere. The Aqua jet, however, had the edge, as Quilava was eventually pushed back, crashing into the ground.

"Now Bubble!" At close range, Squirtle's Bubble attack did much more damage than it did long range. Quilava howled in pain as it was hit, reeling onto its hind legs before falling onto its back.

"Duck! Go, Pokeball!" Making their best imitation of a battery trying to get someone stealing, Squirtle popped into its shell, clattering onto the ground. At the same time, Yue threw a laserbeam right at Quilava. The Volcano Pokemon was just getting up when the Pokeball hit his body. Obviously, that was all that happened; an empty Pokeball cannot catch a Pokemon that is already caught.

Misty raised her right hand, towards Yue. "I'll take that as a capture."

"Alright," Yue nodded.

"Alright!" Ash congratulated.

"Pi-pikachu!"

"Squirtle-squirt!"

"Quil!"

"Azu-azu!"

"That should do it for now," the Baka Ranger stated.

"You did really well for just a rookie trainer," Misty said. "First Staryu, then Corsola…"

"…Buizel and Pikachu…" Ash continued.

"…and finally, Buneary and Quilava!" Dawn finished. "You sure learn fast!"

"Thank you."

"I hope you guys still have some energy to eat," Brock called over. "Food's ready!"

"'Kay, Brock!" The raven haired trainer replied, and quickly headed over to the folding tables where they would eat.

"What's the rush?" Yue asked.

"Oh yeah!" Dawn realized. "You haven't eaten Brock's cooking yet!"

"It's absolutely the best!" Misty declared. "I haven't eaten it in ages, but the taste is still there!" As they headed over to the tables, Yue hoped that it would turn out the exact opposite of the time Nodoka was ill, leaving the two of them to have breakfast created by…

* * *

"YACHOO!"

"Geeze, Haruna!" Gary called from a nearby tent. "Can you find a better time to wake the entire camp up than midnight? Pesky girl…"

Haruna simply reached for her Pactio card, already thinking of a mature way to get back at him…which we'll leave at that. Unless anyone wants the rating bumped up.

Anywho…

* * *

Negi had wandered along for several hours, tripping over rocks and rock-like creatures. The former gave him a minor scrape. The latter either grew arms and threw him across the cavern, or began to move and rolled him over. At last…

"The exit!" Sure enough, a bright light was seen as he rounded a bend. Negi ran towards the light, happy that he was finally out of the-

"**GYOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"**

"What was that?" Negi screeched to a halt, as he turned around to search for the source of the roar. Out of the corner of his eye, something blocked the exit of the cave. He whipped around, and nearly dropped his staff in amazement.

Shadowed by the sunlight that it blocked was a giant, grey rock monster. It was comprised of many boulders, giving it a snake-like look. The "head" had a thin triangle-shaped rock on the top, and had two giant eyes that glared at Negi. The child mage quickly guestimated that it was at least thirty feet long, most likely even longer.

If Yue was here, she would pull out her Pokedex, which would present her with the following entry:

* ONIX, THE ROCK SNAKE POKÉMON. IT TUNNELS THROUGH THE GROUND WHICH SHAKES WHEN IT RAISES ITS THUNDEROUS ROAR. IT CAN MOVE THE GROUND AT FIFTY MILES PER HOUR.*

"GYOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" the Onix roared again, shaking the entire cavern.

"M-meep!" Negi squealed, before regaining his composure. He reached for his staff, and pointed it at the Rock Snake Pokemon.

"Raskil Maskil Magister! 29 spirits of light, come gather and shoot my enemy! Sagitta Magica, Series Lucis!" The tip of the staff began to glow, as the frontmost bandages unraveled slightly, suspended around the staff. Suddenly, 29 arrows of light shot out from the arrow and struck Onix, creating a small explosion that shrouded the Pokemon in thick dark smoke.

"Yes-WAH!" Negi's victory was short-lived, as the child mage dove to the left to avoid a glowing white tail. When he looked up, he saw the Onix glaring at him, with no signs of taking any damage at all.

If ever there was a time for Negi Springfield to panic, it would be now.

* * *

Because of a lack of space in Brock's backpack, the group had only three tents, meaning that they had to share tent space. Obviously, Ash, Chamo, and Brock all took one tent, with the four girls drawing straws for the other two. Misty and Chisame shared the second tent, meaning Dawn and Yue took the third and final tent.

It was during the middle of the night that Pikachu was awoken by the sound of twigs breaking on the ground outside camp. The Electric Mouse Pokemon's ears twitched as he walked to the tent entrance. In doing so, he stepped onto Chamo's tail, waking him up.

"Hey!" the ermine hissed. "Watch where you're walking!" Pikachu ignored him, and peeked out of the tent. After a second, he ran over to Ash and began to push his body, waking up the raven haired trainer.

"M-mmh?" he groggily said. [Brock: Oh, Nurse Joy…!] "W-what's up, Pikachu?"

"Pika, pika-pika, pikachu pi-pika." This caught Chamo's attention.

"Yue walked out of camp?" he asked. [Brock: Not you too, Officer Jenny…!]

"Chu." Just then, a bright flash of light could be seen through the cracks of the tent. The three got up and walked outside.

"What was that?" Ash wondered. [Brock: Croagunk?-!]

"If I had anything on me, I'd bet it was a Pactio card activation," Chamo deducted, as he hopped onto his shoulder. Meanwhile, in a forest clearing not far from camp, Yue activated her Pactio card. The cloak was certainly an improvement from her sleeping ware, which consisted of an oversized undershirt which she borrowed from Ash and her customary side-string panties. The Baka Ranger pointed her broom towards a tree.

"Practe bigi nar…VENTE!" Yue waved her broom in a circle-like pattern, hoping that she could produce the same tornado that had blown away Team Rocket. After a few seconds, however, it was apparent that nothing was going to happen.

"Practe bigi nar…VENTE!" She tried again, but still had the same result.

"Hey Yuecchi, what's up?" The Baka Ranger turned to see Ash, Chamo, and Pikachu approach her. Ash was wearing

"We saw you walking away from camp," the raven-haired trainer explained. "What are you doing here?" The purplette looked down at her feet.

"When I said that I don't remember performing any magic, I wasn't entirely telling the truth. I can see myself taking down Team Rocket, so I thought that maybe I could actually perform those spells. But even with knowing the activation of the spells, I can't come close to moving the leaves on the trees. And when I try to recall back further, my mind goes into this pinkish fuzz…"

"Ya can't learn magic this fast like that," Chamo stated. "Ya first have to build up your mental skills to handle it."

"Mental skills?" Ash echoed, confused.

"Pi-ka?"

"Yeah. In order to use magic, one must develop a strong presence of mind; otherwise, the spells won't be anywhere close to their maximum power."

"I…see," Ash nodded, not sure if he understood what Chamo just said.

"I may not be able to demonstrate what spells you should be doing, but if you let me borrow your artifact from time to time, I can teach you magic. You probably won't be on the same level as Negi, but from what we saw, you will certainly be able to hold your own." Yue thought about the offer for a few seconds.

"Alright," the Baka Ranger nodded.

"Let's head back to the campsite," Ash suggested. "We don't want everyone else to wake up and see that we're both missing." The two turned around, took a step towards the camp…

"**Hoo…"**

"What was that?" Chamo asked.

"Don't know," Yue said. Ash had an idea.

"It sounded like a-"

"Pikapi!" Pikachu pointed to a round, owl-like bird with very large, red eyes that were each surrounded by a black ring. It had a black crest on the top of its head that resembled the hands of a clock. It had brown feathers, two stubby wings, short squarish tail feathers, and a pink undercoat. The Pokemon also appeared to be standing (wobbling, actually) on one leg.

"A Hoothoot!" the raven haired trainer identified. Yue took out her Pokedex.

*HOOTHOOT, THE OWL POKÉMON. HOOTHOOT STANDS ON ONE LEG, AND USES BOTH ITS POWERFUL EYES TO SEE CLEARLY EVEN THROUGH THE DARKEST NIGHT. THEY ALSO HAVE THE INNATE ABILITY TO TELL TIME.*

"Hoo…" As Yue put away her Pokedex, the Hoothoot wobbled enough to fall onto its side. The two trainers rushed up to the Owl Pokemon, with Ash checking it over.

"What's wrong?" Yue asked.

"Hoo…hoothoot…hoot…"

"She says that she had attacked a Bug Pokemon this morning, and has been losin' strength ever since."

"It must have been a Weedle," Ash surmised. "They have the ability Poison Point, so Hoothoot's probably been afflicted by that."

"That's bad," Yue lamented.

"Fortunately, I have a Full Restore on me," he said, pulling out a small green and yellow spray bottle. Chamo eyed him curiously.

"Uh, Ash, if we were only going to follow Yuecchi, why did you bring that in the first place?"

"For situations like this," the trainer answered. "Plus, you never know when Team Rocket could jump out at you, so it's best to be at full strength at all times, right buddy?"

"Pika!" Yue thought she heard a few sneezes, but dismissed the thought. Ash was about to lean down to spray the Hoothoot, when a thought crossed his mind.

"Why don't you heal the Hoothoot, Yue?" he suggested, handing the small bottle to the surprised Purplette.

"M-me?"

"Why not? It's good experience for your trainer skills. Just point the nozzle at the wound – in this case, Hoothoot's body – and pull the trigger. It will sting a bit, just to warn you." Yue nodded, and went onto one knee in front of the Owl Pokemon.

"…H-hoot…"

"I'm not here to hurt you," Yue assured. "This will sting a bit." Yue pulled the trigger of the Full Restore, and a clear liquid shot out at the Hoothoot, who cringed slightly. The two trainers waited for s few minutes as the effects of the Full Redtore took hold.

"So…" Chamo asked, breaking the silence, "how do you feel?" The Hoothoot began bouncing on one leg.

"Hoothoot! Hoothoot!"

"She says that she feels perfect now!" he declared.

"Pi-pika!"

"That's a relief," Yue said. "Don't try to eat any Weedles, okay?"

"Hoot-hoot!" The Hoothoot saluted the Baka Ranger with its right wing, beforet taking off into the sky.

"Take care!" Ash called out.

"Pika-pika!" Yue just stared into the sky…before a mechanical arm grabbed her and pulled her into the bushes.

"YUE!" Ash yelled in surprise.

"What in the-?"

"HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" Guess who...

"Prepare for trouble, for we're not for Pikachu!"

"So make it double, since we're after Yue!"

**!SWIPE! !SWIPE!**

"OW!"

"Meowth?-! What was that for?-!

"Ya idiots couldn't at least get da motto right?-!"

"Well excuse me for staying up all night planning this mission!"

"Yeah! We had no time to prepare the motto!...Wait, what did you say, Jessie?"

"Team Rocket!"

"The one and only!" Jessie smirked. Yue had been thrown into a steel cage.

"Aren't you going after the wrong creature?" Chamo wondered. "Shouldn't you guys be going after Pikachu?" Jessie wagged her finger at the ermine.

"Nu-uh-uh! That's where you've got it wrong."

"Da boss took interest in da fact dat dere is a peirson who can use maigic, so he oidered us to bring her to catch her!"

"Hey!" Yue yelled. "Let me go!"

"Pikachu, Thunderbolt!" Ash ordered.

"Pi-ka-!"

"Wait!" Chamo panicked. "Those are metal bars! If you miss and hit the cage, Yuecchi's no better than French toast!"

"Pika…"

"And I don't have any other Pokemon on me…" Ash grumbled. "Pikachu, Iron Tail!" Pikachu charged at the cage, his tail glowing. Strangely, Team Rocket didn't attempt to resist as the Electric Mouse Pokemon slammed the tail onto the cage. Instead of the bars breaking, they absorbed the blow, sending Pikachu sprawling backwards – and right into a glass cage.

"Pika-pi!"

"Pikachu!" Ash cried.

"These are triple-reinforced steel-titanium bars!" James exclaimed. "Only Fire attacks can get through!" Jessie held up a key.

"Only this key will release both of your companions, twerps!" she said. "But seeing as you only have that white Furret over there, I don't se how you coud possibly beat us! Ahhahaha-!"

**!SWIPE!**

"Hahahaha-eh?-!" Jessie looked to find that she no longer had the key. "Hey!"

"Ash, look!" Chamo exclaimed. The raven-haired trainer turned and saw the Hoothoot, holding the key.

"Hoothoot! Hoothoot!"

"Hey!" Meowth yelled at the Owl Pokemon. "Give us back dat-!" Before Team Rocket could react, the Hoothoot tossed the key towards Ash and Chamo, before stopping Team Rocket with repeated pecking.

"Hey-ow! Stop it-yeowch-I just did my-ow!"

"Quit it! Ow! That hurts the-yee! Stop pleas-ow!" Meowth was able to get away, and made a lunge for the key.

"No ya don't!" He said, as it appeared that the Cat Scratch Pokemon would beat Ash to it. At the last second, Chamo ran up Ash's arm, and nabbed the key. Meowth crashed into Ash's chest, then was tossed back at Jessie and James, knocking the two over. By the time that the three recovered, the ermine had released Pikachu, and was about to open Yue's cage.

"Grr, tactical retreat!" Jessie declared.

"Right!" Before they could, Hoothoot flapped its wings rapidly, and an insanely strong gust of wind sent the three Rocket members deep into the forest, crashing into just about every tree imaginable along the way.

"LOOKS LIKE-OW! TEAM ROCKET-OOF! BLASTING OF-GUH! AGAIN-THUNK!"

"Yue! Ash called out concerned. "Are you okay?"

"Yes."

"Hoothoot! Hoothoot!"

"You've been a great help to us, Hoothoot," Ash praised. "Thank you."

"Hoot-hoot-hoot!" The Owl Pokemon fluttered up to Yue, rested into one of her cloak's pockets…and disappeared in a red light. After a few seconds, a click was heard.

"…Why was there a Pokeball in your Pactio cloak?" Chamo wondered.

"'For situations like this'" the purplette quoted.

"Guess you've made your first Pokemon capture by the 'other' method," Ash said, smiling.

"Eh?" Yue wondered.

"What's that?" Chamo questioned.

"Friendship."

* * *

Negi dove to the ground to avoid another swing of the Onix's tail. The two had been fighting for several minutes without break, neither side moving an inch. More realistically, however, was that the Rock Snake Pokemon would attack the child mage, who would narrowly dodge the attack. It didn't help that Negi's wind and lightning spells had little or no effect on the Onix. The Pokemon was weak to his martial arts training, but he had very few chances to strike it.

"Huff…huff…"

"Gyooo…GYOOOO!" The Onix lowered its head, and spit forward a purplish-yellow cloud at Negi. The child mage was hoping for something like this, though. He reached for the staff on his back, held up in the air, and, while hanging onto it, flew above the cloud, and tried to make a break for the door. He had overestimated how much time he would have, however. Before he could clear the Onix, it raised its head, blocking the hole. Negi skidded to a stop just in time to avoid flying into it, but was then headbutted by the creature, knocking him to the ground. His staff clattered several feet away, out of the reach of the child mage.

"Mea Virgia!" he cried. The wand floated upward, and into Negi's hand. Before he could react, however, the Onix's tail slammed into him, knocking the staff further away from him, and sending him out cold. The last things that he heard before he completely blacked out were the roar of the Onix as it prepared to smash him to bits, the clash of steel onto steel, and the soft ringing of bells.

* * *

By mid-morning, the group was finishing breaking up camp before heading out for Cherrygrove City. The tents were all packed up, utensils were secured, and Dawn's bedhead was tamed for yet another day. Yue did wonder why she woke up soaked to the bone, however. She, Chamo, and Ash also brought everyone up to speed with what happened last night. Congratulations went all around for Yue being able to obtain a Hoothoot.

The group arrived at Cherrygrove City by mid-afternoon, and wasted no time renting two rooms at the Pokemon Center. Afterwards, the group headed over to the contest hall so that she could register for the contest.

"Welcome," the receptionist greeted. "Are you here to register for tomorrow's contest?"

"Yes!" Dawn's answer was expected. But she wasn't the only person to say this.

"Misty?" Brock asked surprised.

"Ahaha," the Water Pokemon trainer laughed sheepishly. "I guess I should have told you guys before. My training is competing in Pokemon contests!"

"Azu! Azu!"

* * *

_For Your Information…_

_Team Roccket actually won't play much of an important role throughout the story, except for one incident at Snowpoint, and another in – of all places – Mahora Academy. How? Wait about 90 chapters or so, and you'll see._

_The rookie trainer mistakes chapter is done for the story._

_For anyone who has no idea why Yue has a Hoothoot, check her Suka card._

_Yes, I know we have enough coordinators already in Pokemon, but I needed a way to fit Misty in for more appearances later on._

_The official Deliverance from Evil Discussion thread is up on my forum. The link is on my profile. Come here to also be alerted to my updating schedule._

_Yue's party count now stands at two in the early stages of things. But Dawn now has a massive challenge awaiting her at the contest. Can she win her first ribbon knowing that she might have to face Misty? Or will the Cerulean Gym Leader sweep away the competition? And is Negi alright? Find out next time! And be sure to R&R my other stories as well!_

* * *

Misty: No hard feelings, right Dawn?

Dawn: Uh, y-yeah! (aside) Oh crap, I'm totally screwed if I face her!

Brock: Just take it like any other contest.

Dawn: Ah, y-yeah! I knew that. No need to worry!

Chisame: Then why are your legs shaking?

Negi: Why did we get drafted into eliminating this "Team Rocket" from this tower?

?: Because your father's staff was stolen, that's why.

Next time: **Contests of Beauty and Strength**! See you then!

Gary: HARUNA! GET THIS THING OFF ME!

Haruna: Hmmm…lemmie think…no.

Gary: HARUNA!

KKid:…what's that doing here? It's not going to be featured next time, or any-OH GOD!

Haruna: That's why.


	7. Contests of Beauty and Strength

_Hiya fans! Finally managed to get off my rear, and finally write this chapter for you guys to read. And a quick note, the preview last time was a bit misleading. We actually won't spend much time on the contest (partly due to my inexpirence with writing them). Instead, most of our action will take place in the scariest part of Kanto._

From SonicAnime2010: Wow! Great chapter... Ah yes the only way you can catch a pokemon that isnt on the game, friendship, I mean come on the only ways you can actually catch pokemon on the games would be defeating and capturing them unless they are given to ya, or hatched. And Negi's gettin his butt kicked by a Onix, Now that would be embarrassing if it was a pokemon battle. And I do not want to know what Haruna did to Gary, but your crossin over into Negima! of all manga, Negima! that alone gives ya a rating of "T". Oh boy Dawn vs Misty in a Pokemon Contest, that'll be an interesting battle. Can't wait for the next post, don't keep me waiting for too long now, you already got my attention.

From KKid: Originally she was supposed to capture Hoothoot in a regular battle, since the Team Rcket event was going to occur the following day…but I dragged on with writing the chapter.

Don't worry. The cavalry has arrived. And I promise badass Negi saving everyone next chapter.

You have a point there.

It won't occur this chapter, but it will be coming down to the wire. I hope you're still following this; I promise a quicker update!

From Pete the Rock: As much as they deserve criticism for their lack of catching Pikachu or other rare Pokemon, that was pretty harsh for Giovanni to lower the boom on the three. There's a good chance he's unaware that Jessie's hair could hook Febas. I did notice that you had the wrong (k)new from Misty speaking to Yue and a misspelling.

Misty: "Since you're stil knew to the process, it might be best to do a few practice sessions when we stop for the night."

It should be this:

Misty: Since you're still new to the process, it might be best to do a few practice sessions when we stop for the night."

I wasn't really expecting Dawn's Cyndaquil to have evolved but your explanation was perfect. You originally had the right Onix but then came the other Onyx. What happened, spellcheck?

I was stunned that you had Team Rocket completely botch their motto like they weren't even thinking about it. Sure, they had a reason but as Chris Berman would say...C'MON MAN! They're better than that!

Well, I'm just about finished with my Avatar crossover and Ash won't be the only lucky one to get the girl. TC and KIU!

From Kkid: Even they've been known to screw up on occasion. Lol at the Feebas comment. Now we just have to wait until the Anime has her hook a Basculin. Might be Seviper all over again.

I freakin' swear, document manager and my computer are out to get me. Thanks again for spotting those.

I can't wait to read your next work, but see if you can clean out some clutter. I know that your Pkmn/Inuyasha crossover's been sitting with one chapter for a while now. But until then, KIU right back at ya!

From Nascardrivers2: You should have Zoey,Berry in this story and are you going to have the 5th gen pokemon in this story. Please update soon.

From KKid: Berry? O.o Yes, he and Zoey will appear, along with Nando, Ursula, and others. Fifth generation will show up as well, but much later.

From Yukari Sendou: This is a real good story, can't wait to see what happens next. Just wondering, will Chacha or Secchan play a role in this? I hope so. Sorry I suck at reviewing.

From KKid: Thanks! Chacha will play only her role within the MahoraFest timeline. Set-chan…hang on another chapter…

BTW, I'm not much better at reviewing. (Sweatdrops)

From Johan07:Good crossover ^o^

Is Yue going to be only girl for Ash? Or will there be others who will be interested in him as well?

From KKid: Hiyah, Johan! Well, you'll eventually see the main female companions fall for him (as early as this chapter!), as well as some of the Mahora cast not currently going with Negi. But as I stress, it will become clearer the further we press on. Okay-ne?

…that was a little present regarding the future of this series.

From avatoa: Now this is a very interesting story. Please update ASAP for I wish to read more of it.

From KKid: Will do!

_Please rate how I did on the contest, please! I want to know how I did with it, and how it can be inproved. Thank you!_

* * *

**Chapter VII: Contests of Beauty and Strength**

Dawn sat in one of the contest hall dressing rooms, busy brushing her hair. She was wearing her new contest outfit – a yellow dress with an orange midsection, a pink ribbon on the front, and white frills. Her hair was put up into a low ponytail, with her yellow hair clips holding her bangs up. She also wore white hand gloves and white shoes.

More than she had ever felt before, however, Dawn was nervous, but not because of the appeals round. After all, she had learned her lesson from the Hearthome City contest on what and what not to do in the appeals round. She was also dong a modified version of her appeal in the Celstic Town contest – she and Buneary had much more experience under their proverbial belts, and were confident that they could pull it off without a hitch this time.

Her concern was the contest battles, specifically should she have to face Misty. Not only would she have to then face off against one of Ash's longtime friends, even longer than May, but also an accomplished Gym Leader of the Indigo League. Since Misty's specialty was Water-Types, her powerhouses Mamoswine and Quilava were a no-go for that round. But since she knew that they were extremely powerful as well, it was determined that while Pachirisu had the type advantage, it wouldn't hold a finger to something like a Gyarados. In the end, she chose her stalwart Piplup. If only she had Ambipom on hand…

As she sat there, still brushing her hair, Dawn couldn't help but think back on her travels over the previous half-year since Pikachu fried her bike – I mean, the two decided to travel together. They had hit it off right from the start, his earnestness, rashness, and determination melding perfectly with her overconfidence and positive outlook on life. He had taken her under his wing, training her like he did with May the year before. She felt a special connection with him, one that she didn't know the depth of until Misty began to travel with them. She felt a twang of jealousy and envy, at how they hit it off so fast, despite having not been face-to-face with each other in nearly a year. But perhaps that is why Dawn was friend with him. And maybe, just maybe, that was why deep down inside herself, she secretly lo-

"Dawn? Are you in there?"

"Wah!" The Sinnoh coordinator jumped. "Y-yes! You can come in if you want!" The door to the dressing room opened, and Dawn had to do a double take to make sure the person that had entered was in fact Misty. The Gym Leader was absolutely stunning, wearing a red Cheongsam dress, which had two small blue ribbons, red high heel shoes, and blue earrings. Her hair flowed gracefully down her back, adding to the beauty of the outfit.

"Wow, Misty!" Dawn exclaimed. "You look gorgeous in that!"

"You think so?" Misty asked. "I found this in an old box back at the gym, and thought that it would be perfect to wear in contests. Your dress looks beautiful as well." Dawn blushed in embarrassment.

"Oh, stop it! There's no way it could compare to yours!"

"We can let the judges decide that. Do you want me to finish brushing your hair for you?"

"Sure! Go right ahead." Dawn handed her the brush, allowing Misty to start.

"Dawn," she asked, "how did you feel when you participated in your first contest?"

"Well, I did feel a few Butterfrees in my stomach," she admitted. "But I managed to tell myself, 'No need to worry! Whatever's done will be my best.'" Dawn paused. "But why are you asking me?"

"Eh?"

"From what Ash's told me, your gym runs water shows inside the gym, and you frequently play a mermaid. How is acting any different than a contest?"

"In the shows, I can control my performance. If I make a mistake, I can simply blame myself, and work harder on correcting that mistake. But in a contest, you also have to rely on the abilities of your Pokemon to make a great combination. If you choose the wrong combination, you not only look bad, but so does your Pokemon. And then there's performing it all before him…" Dawn felt the brush stop movement, and lift off her head. The bluenette turned around.

"You mean Ash?" she asked. Misty nodded.

"He's the closest person to family next to my sisters. I don't want him to hate my performance."

"He's not the type of person to hate a contest performance! Even if you screw up here or there, he'll be sure to say some words of encouragement for you. You said it yourself, he's one of your closest friends. A close friend will never be disappointed by their friend's abilities or choices." Misty suddenly seemed to look a bit downcast.

"About that…the hat that Yue's wearing was the one that Ash wore when I first met him. He told me how special that hat was, yet the first time I see him in Hoenn, he has a new hat. He just cast it aside, leaving it to sit on a shelf and long for the day when Ash throws away his new toy and return to it…like he does to many things…"

Dawn mentally gasped. With that last statement, she realized that she and Misty, despite the differences in age, ability, and personality, shared at least one thing in common. Something that she had been mulling about just minutes earlier.

Who knew that you could do so much reconnaissance with a hairbrush?

* * *

Slowly, Negi opened his eyes. Within a second, they went as wide as they possibly could, as he quickly sat up. Instead of being inside a cave, which was where he last remembered he was, the child mage was instead in a rugged wilderness. The pine trees were thick and tall, only dwarfed by nearby mountains. On the side of one of them, Negi noticed a small entrance into a cavern inside.

'_That must be the cave I was in before,' _he surmised. _'but who was it that carried me out?'_ He didn't have to wonder for long…

**!Ting-ling!**

**!Thwack!**

"OW!" He exclaimed, as he clutched his head.

"**That's what you get for pushing yourself too hard!"** Negi turned around, and was immediately looking up at an orange-haired girl. Green and blue heterochromatic eyes, a short black sleeveless dress under a white top with black boots and a white belt, bells in her hair, a harisen fan in her hands…that meant only one person…

"Asuna!" Negi cried. Negi quickly realized what angle he was looking at her, and quickly blushed in embarrassment. Asuna blushed as well, and whacked Negi in the head with her fan again.

"A-and that's for being a pervert!" she stammered, kneeling down so that Negi didn't have to look up her skirt again.

"B-but what are you doing here?-!" Negi asked, clutching his head again.

"Isn't it obvious?" she laughed. "I just saved your life!"

"Eh?" Negi quickly recalled the last events he could remember. "T-then the bells I heard-?" Asuna pointed at the bells that held her two pigtails.

"That rock monster was a bit tougher than I thought," the girl admitted, "but in the end, I was able to chase it away. I presume that it's still in that cave over there."

"That's good." Negi then noticed something. "Wait, isn't anyone else with you?" Asuna suddenly looked somber.

"I was hoping that maybe Konoka or Chamo were following you," she said.

"Oh." There were several seconds of silence between the two.

"So…do you know anything about where we are?" Asuna finally asked.

"Well…" Negi pondered, "…it's definitely not Mahora Academy…of any timeframe."

"I did see a tower in the distance. It might be located in a town. Do you think we should check it out?"

"We're certainly not going to get back home by sitting around in the middle of a forest." Negi's stomach suddenly made an indescribable noise, prompting Asuna to stifle a laugh.

"And we have to eat as well," she giggled, as the child teacher went red in the face.

"Hey!" the blushing ten-year-old protested. "If you were living on only mushrooms for the past few day, you'd be this hungry too!" Just then, Asuna's stomach roared to life, making it her turn to be embarrassed.

"Ah…uh…"

"You were, weren't you?"

"…let's see about that town, shall we?" Asuna grabbed Negi's arm, and before he could say otherwise, was dragged through the forest until they reached a path. From there, he could clearly see the tower that Asuna had mentioned – a tall, ancient building that rose into the sky, with some out of place antennas and satellite dishes on the roof.

* * *

The inside of the Pokemon Contest Hall was jam-packed with people, and was configured like a basketball arena, the only difference was that the floor was made of dirt instead of wood. Glass panels around the base of the apex of the roof allowed for sunlight to enter, and permitted the use of a grass battlefield.

In the middle of the field was a young woman with short wavy light brown hair, though at the moment it was dyed pink. She was wearing a short light pink dress with matching arm garters and a leg garter on her right thigh, along with a choker around her neck, short dark pink gloves, and knee-length dark pink boots with black laces. She has dark pink lace lining the top of her dress and the top and bottom of her arm garters, leg garter, and her choker. Fake black cat ears and a cat tail with a dark pink ribbon and a golden bell attached complimented the outfit. A microphone headset was attached to her ear, so that when she spoke, it was broadcasted throughout the Contest Hall via speakers.

"Welcome, one and all, to the Cherrygrove City Pokemon Contest! My name is Jillian Meridian, and I'll be your master of ceremonies for today! Today we have a wonderful lineup of Coordinators and their Pokemon, who've worked super-hard to develop combinations that appeal to the senses! But what will they all be aiming for?" She held up a ribbon in her hand for everyone to see. "This! The Cherrygrove City Ribbon!" The crowd burst into cheers at the display of this ribbon.

"Before we continue, let me introduce to you our three judges!" Jillian motioned over to a panel of three people. "Our first person is the director of the Pokemon Contest Comission, Mr. Contesta!" Mr. Contesta was a man in his late fifties, with a middle streak of greying hair in between sections of black. He had on a red tuxedo with a black bowtie and a red flower pinned on the left side.

"Hello!" he called out to the crowd. "It's a pleasure to be here!"

"Next we have the head of the Pokemon Fan Club, Mr. Sukizo!" Mr. Sukizo was a short man with brown hair and a cheerful smile. He wore a dark blue blazer oer a white collared shirt with a red tie.

"This place is remarkable!" he exclaimed.

"And finally, we have the best friend of any Pokemon trainer in the building tonight! You guessed it; it's the Cherrygrove City Nurse Joy!"

"My only wish is that the performers will do their moves without harming themselves or their Pokemon," she stated.

"Alright folks!" Jillian said. "We're now set to start the festivities today, so – you guessed it – let's get busy!" The crowd cheered again, before settling down. "Our first contestant is well-known around Cerulean City for her skills with her Water Pokemon, and is now applying them to Pokemon Contests for the very first time! Please give a big hand for the Cerulean City Gym Leader, Misty!"

Cheers greeted Misty as she ran out from underneath the stands towards the trainer's box on the left side of the field. When she got there, the Water Pokemn trainer looked around the stadium. There had to be at least ten, twenty, maybe much more thousand people jammed into the place, all cheering her on, awaiting her first move. It was a rather intimidating force, even for someone who's performed in water shows before.

At that moment, she heard her friends.

"Come on, Misty!"

"Pikachu-Pi! Pika-Pikachu!"

"Show them how a Gym Leader does things here!"

"Azurill! Azurill!"

"Yeah! What those two said!"

Misty turned to her right, looking directly into the stands. She quickly spotted Ash and Brock, who were standing up, shouting words of encouragement. Pikachu and Azurill were cheering as well; the former was dressed in a kimono, while the latter simply bounced up and down on its tail. Chamo was on Yue's head, holding a tiny megaphone. The other two Mahora residents weren't cheering; but the two looked in Misty's direction, with Yue giving a thumbs up to the redhead.

Misty returned Yue's gesture, before turning back to the playing field and selecting her Pokeball. "Staryu, I choose you!" Her Pokemon was a brown and yellow starfish with a red jewel in the center. It appeared in a series of bubbles, and stood upright on two of its arms.

"Hayah!" the Pokemon responded to the crowd.

"Alright Staryu!" Misty called out. "Let's start things off with a Rapid Spin/Swift combination!" Staryu jumped into the air, and began to spin at a high rate of movement. As it did so, white stars began to shoot out all around it, slowly formulating a belt of stars around the Pokemon. To the untrained eye, it looked like the planet Saturn.

"Good! Now use Bubblebeam!" Staryu stopped shooting stars out, and instead shot out orange bubbles all around itself. When the bubbles came into contact with a star from the previous Swift attack, the bubbles absorbed them. Soon, Staryu was being orbited by a belt of bubble-encased stars.

"Let's finish it! Water Gun!" Staryu made one orbit around the belt of stars, before landing on the battlefield and shooting quick, short darts of water at all the bubbles. When they were popped, the bubbles exploded into small streams of white energy, which slowly rained down onto the field. Much to Misty's surprise, both the crowd and the judges were thrilled with her performance.

"Staryu's agility and pinpoint control showcased the beauty of a Gym Leader's Pokemon!" Nurse Joy stated.

"Remarkable!" Mr. Sukizo added.

"It's always enjoyable to see a fireworks display," Mr. Contesta said, "and Misty's put on a whole new 'spin' on the concept!"

"And there you have it, folks!" Jillian stated to the crowd. "Right from the judges' mouths! Let's have another hand for our coordinator!" The crowd gave another ovation for Misty, who was too flustered to say anything. She recalled Staryu, and quickly ran off the battlefield. Back in the stands, meanwhile…

*STARYU, THE STAR SHAPE POKEMON. AT NIGHT, STARYU ARE FOUND IN LARGE NUMBERS AT THE SEASHORE, THEIR RED CENTERS GLOWING AND BLINKING ON AND OFF. IT IS SAID THAT AS LONG AS ITS RED CENTER REMAINS, IT CAN ALWAYS REGROW ITS LIMBS, EVEN IF THEY HAVE BEEN CUT INTO A THOUSAND PIECED.* Yue put away her Pokedex.

"Jeez!" Chamo remarked. "I thought those battle moves were for the Pokemon's own protection! Misty made 'em look like they belonged on Broadway!"

"It's a wonder what a Pokemon's abilities are capable of doing," Brock remarked. "Even we don't know the true extent of their powers. That's why we work together with Pokemon: to further our knowledge of each other."

"Cut out the philosophical talk, Brock!" Ash urged. "Misty was great out there for it being her first time in a contest!"

"Pikachu-Pi! Pika-Pikachu!" the Electric Mouse Pokemon cheered.

"Er, I was going to say that too…" Brock admitted. Yue watched the raven haired trainer's enthusiasm with mild interest, before looking in Chisame's direction. The net idol was unusually focused on the contest. The purplette wondered if it was simply because of the girl's net-ego, Chiu-Chiu, or if it was something more…

* * *

The sign at the entrance of the settlement read "Welcome to Lavender Town; the Noble Purple Town."

"What a curious name for a village," Negi remarked.

"What a stupid description of said town," Asuna stated. "Look at the place! It's nearly abandoned!" It was true; neither Negi nor Asuna could see any people in the town. Many storefronts and houses looked dilapidated and derelict, and garbage littered the street. Adding to the creepy factor was that it was the middle of the afternoon, yet there was a thick bank of fog that obscured both the sun and the top of the large tower that they had seen from the distance.

"But there are residents here," Negi pointed out, "so it's best that we stop off at a hotel or an inn and get our bearings – as well as something substantial to eat."

"Let's just make it quick. This place is giving me the creeps."

"**Hurry up, Biff!" **A voice from behind the two caught their attention. They barely had time to turn around and see a shape move through the fog nearby them. It was hard to make out any details because of the fog, but the figure was a young woman, about her 20's or 30's, with dark yellow hair. No sooner than she passed…

"**The name isn't Biff! It's – AHWAH!" **Another figure came out of the fog, but instead crashed straight into Negi. The two tumbled to the ground, and Neg's wand was knocked off of its holder, and clattered to the ground. This time, Asuna was able to get a good look at the guy – about the same age as the girl, with ear-length green hair with a middle part, white gloves and boots, black long-sleeved shirt and long pants, and a blood red R imprinted on the shirt. The boots and gloves had a red band near the top.

"Ah, Negi! Sir!" Asuna gasped. "Are you two okay?" The man grunted and pushed Negi away from him, then grabbed for something on the ground, muttering something to himself, before running off after the girl.

Asuna went to help Negi up, but the child teacher waved her off. "Don't worry, I'm fine."

"Jeez, Negi! Always getting in the middle of things…" Negi reached onto the ground for his wand, but found it much shorter than he last remembered.

"Ahh!" he cried. "My wand's snapped in two!"

"It's not broken!" Asuna pointed out. "It's an old man's cane!" Asuna was right. The cane was made of smooth wood, and was about a third the size of Negi's wand.

"T-then where's my wand?-!" Asuna pondered for a second.

"That man must have dropped it when he crashed into you, and picked up yours by mistake!"

"But why would a man of his height and age need a cane that's too short for him?"

"**Come back, you thieves!" **Wheezing down the road, and using a piece of a two-by-four to support his weight, was an elderly old man. He was about Negi's height, wore a purple collared t-shirt with jeans and brown leather shoes, and had only white eyebrows for any sort of hair on his head. Next to him was an old lady, who was a few inches shorter than Asuna, with short blonde hair and a rough wooden cane. She wore a purple turn of the century-style dress with purple shoes, a white apron and collar, and black stockings.

When the two people saw Negi and Asuna, the woman pulled out a Pokeball from a holder on her side, and pointed it at the two. "You there! Are you associated with Team Rocket?-!"

"H-huh?-!" Negi gasped, surprised at the sudden accusation. The old man walked forward towards Negi.

"Agatha," the man spoke, "Team Rocket may be nefarious and cruel, but they certainly do not stoop down to employing young children." He looked sternly at Negi. "At least, I hope so."

"I-I-I don't know anything about Team Rocket!" Negi blurted out, presenting the cane to the man. The old man took it, but was surprised about the child teacher's statement.

"You have never heard of Team Rocket before?" he asked quizzically. Negi and Asuna began to break out in a cold sweat. "I'm guessing you must be from Unova or Orre then." The two mentally sighed.

"But it is too dangerous to be wandering alone out here," Agatha warned. "You should come with us to Mr. Fuji's house until the current situation is resolved." Suddenly, Negi and Asuna's stomachs growled wildly, echoing off the walls of the empty buildings.

The old man looked at the two. "I also can put on some food and tea for you guys if you want," he offered. Asuna went up to the man and bowed enthusiastically.

"Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!" she said quickly. "I promise me and Negi won't be a bother to you guys!"

"Asuna!" Negi protested. "You shouldn't be bothering strangers!"

"Negi and Asuna, huh?" The old man stroked his chin. "What unusual names you two have. Anyway, you can call me Mr. Fuji, and this fine lady here is Agatha of the Indigo League Elite Four."

"A pleasure to be acquainted with you two," Phoebe said, and offered a handshake, to which Negi kindly accepted.

"Same here," Negi stated. "But I must ask, what is the Hoenn League?" Agatha was surprised.

"Surely you've heard of the Indigo Division of the Pokemon League, right?"

"Pokemon?" Asuna asked. "What's that?" Agatha and Mr. Fuji gasped. It seemed that there would be a lot of talking going on in the Fuji household today.

* * *

Outside the contest hall, hidden by bushes, were Jessie, James, and Meowth. They were having lunch, which consisted of simple rice balls. James and Meowth were listening to the roar of the crowd, who could be heard cheering every other minute.

"Sounds like there are plenty of coordinators putting on a splendid show in there," James remarked.

"Yeah," Meowth added. "Should be a pretty good mix of powerful Pokemon in dere. I even checked, dat old red twoip's competin' today."

"Really?" James asked with interest. "With the amount of blast-offs that she's given us, that twerp's probably going to win the whole event!" He turned to his female partner. "Don't you think, Jess-?"

**!SPLAT! **Jessie threw a rice ball at James's face.

"I don't care a bit how well the twerps do today!" she muttered, clenching her fist. "All she's gonna wind up with is heartbreak and sadness! She should just return to Cerulean and stick to Gym Battles!"

"Wobb-bufet!" Jessie noticed the blue blob out, and quickly got its Pokeball out.

"I don't need comments from the peanut gallery, blobbo!" she hissed, and returned the creature to its Pokeball.

"Wo-o-o-o-obu-u-u…"

"Poor Wobbufet," Meowth lamented. "A victim of Jessie's hatred of contests since da Sinnoh Grand Festival. I would've never guessed dat she would take so much interest in da bluenette twoip…"

"Hey!" James whined, cleaning his face off with a towel. "Aren't I a victim here too?-!"

* * *

"What?-!" Asuna gasped. "2002?-!"

"Well," Agatha remarked, "you took the whole Pokemon thing a lot easier than this." Everyone was in Mr. Fuji's house having tea and dinner. Agatha and Mr. Fuji explained the basic concepts of Pokemon to Negi and Asuna, who then explained their situation to the two. This had led to the shocking revelation that…

"But we were in 2003 just days ago!" the redhead exclaimed.

"Nothing we can do about it," Mr. Fuji stated. "From what you said, it looks like you were dragged to our world by a time traveling Pokemon, not that Cassiopeia thing your friend has. Unless you find that Pokemon, I'm afraid that you can't get back to your world."

"Of course, you're always welcome to stay here and become Pokemon trainers," Agatha offered. The Elite Four member sweatdropped when Asuna seemed to panic even more.

"What am I going to do?-! If we don't get back home soon, then a whole year of my life will have gone by without living it normally! And if we don't get back to the right time, then we might run into duplicates of ourselves! Although, if our duplicates are younger, then I just might be able to get Professor Takahata to fall in love with me! Yeah! That's an excellent idea!"

"She's lost it…" Meanwhile, Negi was busy fishing for a book in his bag. When he was finished, he presented it to Agatha and Mr. Fuji. It was a teacher's planner book, with the pictures of thirty two girl headshots on the first page.

"Are you sure that you haven't seen any of the girls in those pictures?" he asked. "Maybe Konoka or Kaede?"

"Believe me, Negi," Agatha lamented. "With names like those, I would know if I had seen them. Unfortunately, I don't."

"The Pokemon world is a wide and mysterious place," Mr. Fuji continued. "Your friends could theoretically be in any region of this wondrous planet. Hopefully, none are anywhere near the hands of Team Rocket or a comparable force."

"That reminds me," Negi inquired. "Why did those two thieves want your cane so badly?"

"It's not the cane they're after. Which reminds me…" Mr. Fuji twisted the handle of the cane around, and it came loose. He lifted off the top, revealing a secret compartment in the lower half that held a Pokeball. Mr. Fuji pressed the button on the front of the device, and in a flash, a Pokemon materialized on the floor. The creature had light brown fur, a small tail and two spikes, a bone, and was wearing a skull over its head.

"Cu-cubone!" it cried.

"Ah, you must be hungry, little one." Mr. Fuji surmised, to which the Pokemon nodded its head. "Right, I'll go get you some Pokemon food for you then." As Mr. Fuji went into his cupboards for some food for the Cubone, Agatha, Negi, and Asuna observed the creature.

"So this is a Pokemon…" Negi pondered.

"One of them," Agatha said. "This species is a Cubone."

"Cu-bone-bone!"

"Why's it wearing such an old worn out skull?" Asuna wondered.

"That skull is the last memento of its deceased mother," Mr. Fuji explained, as he set a bowl of food down in front of the Cubone, who happily began to devour the food inside. Asuna and Negi seemed to be taken aback by Mr. Fuji's statement.

"I-it's deceased…mother?" Negi repeated.

"I'm so sorry! Asuna apologized. "I never knew-!"

"Relax, Asuna!" Mr. Fuji urged. "It's been three years since those events happened, and Cubone here has gotten over most of the trauma from that incident."

"Wait, did you say three years?-!" Agatha interrupted. Mr., Fuji nodded.

"What's so important about three years ago?" Asuna asked.

"Three years ago," the Elite Four member explained, "Team Rocket seized control of the Pokemon Tower, in the hopes of starting an underground business of selling Cubone and Marowak skulls. It soon turned into a hostage situation when Mr. Fuji and the Marowak tried to force them out of the tower. The police and many trainers from the surrounding towns were called in to rescue them, but in the ensuing conflict…they were only able to successfully save Mr. Fuji…"

"That Cubone is indeed the child of that Marowak, Agatha," Mr. Fuji stated. "I only have myself to blame for allowing those two to go up there with me." Neji was almost moved to tears.

"H-how horrible!" he sniffled. "T-to kill innocent creatures, only for profit…"

"My thoughts exactly," the Lavender Town resident nodded.

"Look at it this way, Negi," Asuna said to her younger teacher. "From what he was saying, the situation seemed pretty dire. It's a miracle that only the Marowak creature was killed."

"…**no…"**

"No?" Asuna restated. "What do you mean, Negi?" The child mage looed at her quizzically.

"Eh? I didn't say anything."

"…**You're wrong…"** The air in the room seemed to be getting colder and heavier. Agatha and Negi heard the voice to, and were now looking in every direction for the source of the voice.

"Someone…no, something's here!" Agatha stated, her hand reaching behind her back for a Pokeball.

"Show yourself!" Negi ordered. Something suddenly struck Asuna – an idea, not an object – which caused her to turn to Mr. Fuji.

"Hey, old man. When you said you allowed the two of them, did you mean that both Cubone and Marowak tried to help you?" The old man shook his head.

"How could he?" he said. "Cubone was born the day after all of that went down.

"**YOU'RE ALL WRONG!-!-!" **Without all warning, anything that wasn't fixated to the ground was levitated into the air, be they people or objects.

"W-WHAT THE HELL'S GOING ON?-!" Asuna screamed. Agatha tried to reach for her Pokeballs, but they floated away before she could grab one.

"Rastel Mascir Magi-OOF?-!" Negi's spell incantation was interrupted by the Pokemon food bowl flying into his face.

"Cubo-o-o-one! Cubo-o-o-one!" the poor Pokemon cried. Asuna saw something float out of her pocket. She quickly grabbed it, and an idea popped into her head when she recognized what it was.

"That's it!" she exclaimed. "The Pactio card! Adeat!" A brief flash of light formed, and the card she was holding transformed into a massive harisen paper fan. It was white with a light red handle and an orangy-brown leather tag. Asuna swun the fan around her, but nothing happ-

"**OW!"** The harisen suddenly hit an invisible…thing. Instantly, everything fell to the ground with a resounding crash.

"O-o-ow…!" Asuna cried. She had been smashed in the face with a chair when she was dropped, and was now clutching her nose in pain.

"O-oh dear…" Agatha groaned, as she slowly got up. Negi collected her Pokeballs for her.

"I-is everybody alright?-!" he asked. The two ladies nodded.

"But I must ask, how did you get that giant fan?" Agatha asked. Asuna gasped.

"I'll tell you later! Look!" She was pointing to someone who hadn't been the room before – s small child, no more than ten years old. She had short chest-length light blue hair with two hip-length bangs, soft red eyes, and wore a white summer dress. What Asuna was pointing out was the fact she had no feet – where her legs should have been, there was just a long wisp of a white smoke-like substance.

"A ghost?-!" Agatha exclaimed. Mr. Fuji walked over to the ghost, who seemed to be crying.

"Alyssia!" he boomed. "How many times have I told you not to scare guests?-!"

"Sorry Mr. Fuji!" the ghost wailed. She had a childish voice. "But whenever anyone talks about that incident, I'm always forgotten!" Negi began to piece together bits of information in his head.

"Two people…one Marowak…" he approached the girl. "Are you saying that you were killed along with the Marowak?" The girl looked at Negi with surprise.

"Ah, yes…" she sniffled.

"When I was halfway up the tower," Mr. Fuji explained, "Marowak thought that heard someone behind us. I turned around, thinking that it was a Rocket Grunt, and she was there. Wasn't yet old enough to be a trainer, but she was too stubborn to turn back."

"I…heard from my parents what was happening," Alyssia hiccupped, almost done crying. "I didn't want the Cubone and Marowak to suffer anymore." Mr. Fuji finished fixing the chairs and tables, and everyone sat down. Alyssia floated to Mr. Fuji's right.

"So the three of you went up to the top floor and were captured…" Asuna continued.

"We were stuck there for two days," Mr. Fuji stated. "No food, no water, nothing. On the third day, a grunt decided to harvest Marowak's skull. Just as the grunt was about to kill it, Alyssia stepped in between the two, and was cut on the arm. She refused to back down from him, even when she was stabbed and slashed further by him. Then…'it' came."

"'It?'" Agatha repeated. Alyssia began to shiver.

"It brings back too many horrible memories for her," Mr. Fuji explained, "so I'm not going to say what it was. But the noise caused by 'it' was enough for the Police and trainers to storm the place. All the grunts they apprehended in the lower rooms were surrendering, no, pleading for them to take them away from the tower. When they reached the top floor, the only things that they could find…were a Marowak skull and myself, with a deep cut in my arm."

"W…what happened?-!" Agatha pressed. "All reports stated that only the Marowak was killed, and that she was abducted!" Mr. Fuji shook his head.

"I told you, I can't say what it was. But I certainly couldn't say what had happened in the room to the police. The Pokemon Tower was our only draw back then, and if people became scared of that place, then our town would decay. I was in the hospital for about two weeks. When I was able to return home, I heard a soft crying sound coming from my room. When I entered, I found Alyssia. Apparently, the events had left her unable to…you know.

"In time, a new mayor struck a deal to have the Pokemon Tower transformed into a Radio Station. All the graves were transferred into a new building next door to my house. With the Radio Station, prosperity came in earnest to Lavender town. Never before has the area been so lively. However, I found out that while the graves of the dead have moved, their spirits still resided in the tower. And that's what Team Rocket is after."

"Hold on," Asuna interrupted. "I've been hearing Team Rocket this, Team Rocket that all this time. Who's Team Rocket?"

"They are a criminal organization based out of this region," Agatha explained. "They steal rare and valuable Pokemon and items in order to sell them on the black market."

"I see…" Negi thought. "So Mr. Fuji, you think that Team Rocket wants something to do with the spirits in that tower?"

"When they took over the station two days ago, this fog rolled in, and the air seemed to get heavier, he noted. "Save for Cubone, all of the Pokemon fled the area, and soon, even the people left too. I was the only person left, but in my state, I couldn't challenge them, which is why I put a call into Agatha."

"If Team Rocket angers the spirits in that tower again, there's nothing that would prevent them from overrunning the surrounding area," the Elite Four member surmised. "We – the Elite Four, the Champion, and the Gym Leaders – would be called in to try and stop them, leaving the other town less defended from attack."

"A diversionary attack!" Asuna realized. The old woman nodded.

"Team Rocket would be able to take over other sites with much less difficulty than normal. If they had Mr. Fuji's cane with Cubone inside of it, their plan would have already started."

"Is there any way we can help?" Negi suddenly offered. Agatha looked surprised.

"You two don't have any Pokemon," she reminded them. "How can you two fight back?" Asuna picked up her harisen. With a simple "Adeat," the fan returned into its card form, amazing Agatha, Alyssia, and Mr. Fuji.

"Magic," Negi stated.

* * *

"Next up is our 16th contestant of the afternoon!" Jillian announced. "Anyone who watched the Sinnoh Grand Festival should know the name of this Coordinater, who was the runner-up in the competition! Everyone give a warm hand to Dawn of Twinleaf Town!" A very loud set of cheers was given to Dawn, who raced out onto the stage, and threw out her Pokeball.

"Buneary! Spot-light!" The Pokeball burst open in a series of hearts, along with the cute and cuddly Rabbit Pokemon. She did a somersault in the air, before landing on her feet in perfect form.

"Bun-eary!"

"Buneary, use Bounce, then Ice Beam!" Buneary jumped high into the air, then tilted face down in order to fire an Ice Beam attack at the floor. The battlefield floor was soon coated in a sheet of Ice, complete with a ramp on the other end, where the Rabbit Pokemon landed.

"Amazing!" Jillian commented. "It looks like Dawn and Buneary are going for the same combination that lead to their success in the Celstic Town Contest!" But there were to be some changes…

"Slide down and use Ice Beam again!" Buneary began to slide down the ice ramp. As she did, the Rabbit Pokemon launched another Ice Beam attack at the floor, creating an ice loop.

"Now Dizzy Punch!" Buneary flipped onto her fluffy ears, and used the Dizzy Punch to guide her onto the beginning of the ice loop. She went further and further up the loop, soon reaching the top of the loop. Gaining speed, Buneary slid down the end of the loop.

"One more Ice Beam attack!" Buneary turned forward, and issued a third Ice beam to form a small ramp in front of her. The Rabbit Pokemon flew up into the air, made a graceful spin – and landed on Dawn's outstreached hand on one ear!

"Bun! Bun! Bun!" The crowd once again erupted into life with another round of cheers.

"Buneary really seemed to be enjoying the combination that she worked out with her trainer," Nurse Joy commented.

"Absolutely remarkable!" Mr. Sukizo stated.

"I remember Dawn having to improvise her Celstic Town appeal when the Dizzy Punch went out of control," Mr. Contesta remembered. "Not only did she have no need for saving her Pokemon from injury, but she was able to improve on her performance!"

"Let's give another hand for Dawn!" Jillian announced, gaining more cheers from the audience. "Before we move onto the next round, will any contest hall workers with Fire Pokemon please report to the arena at this time. Thank you."

"Alright Dawn!" Ash cheered.

"Pikaka! Pikachu!"

"It looks like all that hard time perfecting that move last night paid off!" Brock remarked.

"I'm about as limber as a mouse," Chamo remarked, "yet I wouldn't have been able to perform those moves there."

"That's because you're an ermine," Chisame reminded him, "not a Pokemon."

"I meant the staying on the loop-de-loop part, Chiuecchi, not the attack business." This response was greeted by the net idol attempting to yank the ermine's lips off of the creature.

"I told you never to call me Chiuecchi!" she ordered.

"Mwopay! Mwopay! Must mwet no obf mwy wips!"

* * *

"So that's why they stole your staff when you collided with them," Agatha remarked as she, Negi, and Asuna started their trek up the Radio tower.

"Well, the cane and Negi's wand are both made of wood," Asuna reasoned. "And this fog makes it so hard to see outside..."

"True."

"It's a good thing that I have Master's ring with me," Negi stated. "Otherwise, I could only use Ku-Fei's martial art techniques." They reached the third floor of the building. For being hostage for two days, the desks and equipment had an unusually large amount of dust on them, as if they hadn't been touched in years. Something else began to bother the group.

"Shouldn't we have encountered some guards or anyone similar by now?" Asuna wondered, as they headed up the next staircase. "For a place that's under their control, they aren't doing a good job of protecting it."

"You're right," Agatha said. "It's almost as if they want us to come up here."

"**That's not the case."** A figure in red stood at the top of the stairs.

"You're Tobias!" Agatha realized.

"Who's Tobias?" Negi asked.

"He's a trainer who is in the middle of sweeping through the Sinnoh League using only two Pokemon," she stated, "both of which are nearly impossible to catch."

"You give me too much credit Agatha," Tobias said. "That Ash Ketchum was actually posing a challenge before our match was interrupted."

"Why are you here?" Agatha asked.

"I was trying to get rid of Team Rocket, and managed to clear out all but the top floor before my Pokemon could not physically continue."

"For a user of legendary Pokemon, that seems highly unlikely."

"It happens to the best of us. Now I must hurry, as the Nurse Joy in this town has left, and the nearest center that's open is in the next town." He began to walk past the three, but suddenly stopped. He turned around, and hit Negi with a strong stare.

"Er, i-is there something wrong?" the child mage asked.

"Turn back," Tobias said darkly. "If you want to ever see the light of day again, turn back." He then left without another word.

"'If you ever want to see the light of day again,' huh?" Asuna said. "What did he mean?"

"Perhaps he has very strong connections with the spirits here," Negi surmised. "I'm feeling a strong presence of malice."

"So do I," Agatha stated. "But a trainer of his caliber should be able to handle just about anything short of an earthquake."

"He gives me the creeps," Alyssia chimed in.

"He does?" Negi asked. "How so?" A long silence filled the room, as the three realized who was with them. "A-alyssia?-!"

"Hi, Negi!" the ghost waved at him.

"Child, what are you doing here?" Agatha asked.

"Well, me and my friends didn't think you three had a good chance of defeating the Rockets, so we decided to join you guys!"

"Wait," Negi asked, "By friends, do you mean-?" He was cut off as two ghostly figures appeared. The first was a levitating ball with giant eyes, fangs, and a purple fog that surrounded it. The second was a short purple creature with large red eyes, shiny white teeth, a short tail, and a spiked back. Asuna and Negi jumped at the sudden introduction.

"WAH! Asuna shrieked. "G-g-g-ghost!" Agatha laughed.

"These aren't ghosts; it's a Gastly and a Gengar!"

"Ghastly! Gastly!" The smaller creature smiled.

"Gengar!" The larger one grinned.

"Someone's gonna have to show me a list of every Pokemon known to man REAL soon!" Asuna stated.

"When we get back," Agatha promised. She turned to Alyssia. "I suppose you three won't take a go back to Mr. Fuji's house for an answer, is that right?"

"Yup!" she replied.

"Well, I guess we have no choice then but to go on with three extra people. Do Negi and Asuna have any qualms about that?"

"Not at all," the child teacher said.

"Just be careful, okay?" Asuna asked.

"Promise!" the ghost replied. "But can I ask you two something?"

"Shoot."

"Why were you two not surprised or scared when I first appeared in Mr. Fuji's house?" Negi provided the answer.

"It's because you're not the first ghost we've met."

"Huh?" Negi got out his planner book again, and pointed to a picture in the top right corner of the page. Strangely, unlike the other photographs on the page, it was in black and white, and the girl in the picture wore a different uniform than the other girls on the page.

"Who's that?" Alyssia asked.

"Her name's Sayo," Negi said. "She died in the school about sixty years ago, and has stayed in my classroom ever since. We only found her about two weeks ago, but she seems like a nice person."

"I guess even in your world, there are certain common traits," Agatha commented. Negi put away the planner book, and the party of now six people, ghosts, and Pokemon continued to advance up the tower.

* * *

"_It's been quite a long and exciting day here at the Cherrygrove City Contest Hall, but it's now finally time to determine the finalists that will continue on to the final round of the Pokemon contest! As per the rules of the Johto Contest Division, only four coordinaters will advance to the next round of the contest."_

"Hey!" Chamo applauded to Misty and Dawn in the coordinator staging area. "I may never have seen a Pokemon contest in my life before, but those appeals were absolutely flawless! You heard that? They were wonderful!"

"Yeah," Dawn agreed, "but I definitely wasn't able to compare with a Gym Leader."

"Aw, stop it, Dawn!" Misty blushed. "I don't think that I did that great in my first contest…"

"Relax," Yue stated, taking a sip of Cheri Berry Cola. "I'm sure both of you got into the next round.

"Yue's right!" Ash said. "If I had to choose which one had the better appeal, it's both!"

"Pika-pika!"

"You know that if you have to choose between two things you can't pick both, right?" Chisame sweatdropped.

"Ey, Ash can choose C on a multiple choice answer!" Chamo corrected.

"They're announcing the finalists!" Brock pointed out. Everybody turned back to the monitor.

"_Our first winner is…Dawn from Twinleaf Town!"_

"Alright!" Dawn cheered.

"Congratulations, Dawn!" Misty applauded.

"What else did you expect from the runner-up of the Sinnoh Grand Festival?" Brock said, smiling.

"_Our second winner is…Marissa from Viridian City!"_

"It will definatly be the next spot!" Chamo predicted.

"_Our third finalist is…Roy from Olivine City!"_

"I'm never asking you to read my fortune, Chamo," Chisame stated.

"Don't worry, Misty," Brock told her. "I'm sure you're in too."

"I hope so…" the Gym Leader said, unsure of herself.

"_And last but not least, our final contestant who will advance to the final round…first-time coordinator Misty of Cerulean City!"_

"See?" Brock said with joy. "What'd I tell you?"

"Alright Misty!" Ash cheered!

"Pi-pikachu!"

"Great job, sis!" Chamo applauded.

"I passed…I actually passed!" Misty stated, still in awes of her feat.

"_We'll start the final round in fifteen minutes, so finalist coordinators, get ready! Your chance at the Cherrygrove Ribbon awaits!" _The screen went blank.

"Huh?" Dawn blinked. "Aren't they supposed to tell you who your match is against?" Brock stopped one of the coordinators, who was about to leave the hall.

"Excuse me," he asked, "but do you know when they announce the matchups?"

"They don't," the coordinator replied. "The final round's a multi-battle format."

"A multi-battle?-!" Ash gasped.

"Pi-ka?-!"

"What's a multi-battle?" Yue asked.

"A multi-battle's a one-on-one-on-one-on-one format," Brock explained. "Essentially, it's you against one Pokemon from three different trainers, all at the same time!"

"Seriously?-!" Chamo gasped. "Then that means-!"

'_Not only will I face three trainers at the same time,'_ Dawn thought sadly, _'but I'll have to face a Gym Leader as well!'_

* * *

"_You idiots!"_ A voice boomed on a cell phone. _"How in Arceus's name could you pull a blunder like that?-!"_

"Professor Nimba," a man spoke into the receiver, "I crashed into someone who had a walking stick, and in the fog, we couldn't tell which stick was which." The man was the same one that crashed into Negi earlier this chapter.

"_No excuses, Bill! And my name's Professor NAMBA! When will you get it right?-!"_

"When people remember that my name's Butch!"

"_Whatever! Just hope that you have a backup plan!"_ The person on the other end hung up.

"How can you confuse this giant stick with that tiny cane?" the woman from before asked. She wore a similar uniform to Butch's, except the top was a skirt, the boots had heels and went up to her thighs, and the gloves were longer. Her golden hair had a similar cut to Butch's, except that it also extended down to two waist-length ponytails with frayed ends. She also had two red triangle earrings, and was holding Negi's wand.

"Oh, shut up, Cassidy!" Butch groaned.

"So whaddya think?" Cassidy asked. "That kid will come up for his staff?"

"It doesn't matter," Butch sighed. "If we don't get that Cubone, we can't get its skull. And if we don't get that skull, the Boss is gonna kill us!"

"Maybe you should have thought about that when you left with the complete cane instead of just the Pokeball."

"Quiet! I hear footsteps." Within a few seconds, Negi, Asuna, Agatha, Alyssia, Gastly, and Gengar arrived on the top floor.

"There they are!" Agatha pointed.

"That's Team Rocket?-!" Asuna asked.

"My wand!" Negi exclaimed.

"Nice of you guys to come," Cassidy stated. "Now prepare for trouble!"

"We want revenge for our screw up," Butch continued, "So make it double!"

"To the moon…"

"…and beyond…"

"WHAT A BLAST!"

"To infect the world with devastation!"

"To blight all people in every nation!"

"To denounce the goodness of truth and love!"

"To extend our wrath to the stars above!"

"Cassidy!"

"Butch, of course! Those are our names!"

"We're Team Rocket, circling Earth all day and all night!"

"Surrender to us now or you will surely lose the fight!"

"…" the five were in stunned silence. Then, Asuna and Alyssia started to laugh hysterically.

"What's so funny?-!" Butch demanded.

"Oh, nothing!" Asuna giggled. "It's just that that's totally cheesy for grown-ups to be singing a motto! I mean, come on!"

"Yeah!" Alyssia added. "It even sounds like it's a total rip-off from some cartoon show or something!"

"Why you-!" cassidy's anger was interrupted by a ringing noise. Butch pulled out his cell phone, and answered it.

"Hello…Put it on speaker?...Sure, Jimmy." He pressed speaker.

"**IT'S A TOTAL RIPP-OFF!-!"** three voices monotonously chimed, and the caller hung up.

"What was that about?" Cassidy asked.

"Don't look at me," Butch answered. "I don't – hey! That's the kid I bumped into!"

"Give me back my wand!" Negi ordered. Cassidy held up the wand.

"You mean this tree branch?" she asked. "I'll trade it for that old geezer's cane." Negi stuck his hand forward.

"Mea Virga!" he yelled. The wand seemed to gain a life of its own, and flew straight out of Cassidy's hand. It landed right into Negi's outstretched palm.

"What in the?-!" Cassidy gasped.

"No time to talk!" Agatha boomed. "Arbok, go!" Agatha threw a Pokeball at the ground. It opened to reveal a giant purple cobra.

"Char-bar-kok!" the snake hissed.

"Adeat!" Asuna yelled. The card transformed again, but this time into a Zanbato sword that was longer than she was. Alyssia and Agatha were impressed.

"You can transform it into two objects?" the ghost asked.

"Sort of," Asuna admitted. "It still sometimes chooses which weapon depending on my emotions."

"…We're clearly dealing with a magical girl and child," Butch realized.

"Didn't Jessie and James deal with a Magical Girl the other day?" Cassidy wondered. This gained Negi's attention.

"A Magical Girl?-!" he asked. What did she look like?"

"Like we'd tell you!" Cassidy snapped. "Sableye, Granbull, I choose you!" She sent out two Pokemon: A tiny purple creature with blue jewels for eyes, and a giant bipedal purple-grey dog with two giant bottom fangs and a black collar.

"Sableye!"

"Gran-Bull!"

"Ratticate, Mightyena, you too!" Butch's two Pokemon were a A giant brown and cream rat with massive fangs, and a black and grey wolf.

"Ratticate!"

"Tyena!"

"Cantus Bellax!" Negi chanted, and the battle commenced. With five combatants on one side, and four on the other, the battle began by being split into one double battle, one single battle, and one two-on-one match: Gastly and Gengar versus Sableye and Mightyena, Asuna versus Granbull, and Negi and Arbok versus Ratticate. Being that Butch, Cassidy, Agatha, and Alyssia did not have weapons or knew any magic, they were on the sidelines, giving out orders to their Pokemon.

"Granbull, use Bite!" The Fairy Pokemon charged at Asuna. It leapt into the air, and opened its gaping mouth at Asuna. The redhead held the sword perpendicular to her body, and the attack instead clomped onto the sword. Granbull immediately let go, and held its jaw in pain from being cut by the blade.

"Hi-yah!" Doing her best impersonation of a pro ballplayer, she swung the sword at Granbull. The flat end connected with the Fairy Pokemon's body, and sent it flying across the room – Luckily for Alyssia, getting in the way of an errant Shadow Ball attack by Sableye.

"Thanks Asuna!"the ghost said to her.

"Ah…I didn't intend for that…" she admitted. Meanwhile, Negi and Arbok were having some difficulty with Ratticate. The Mouse Pokemon was so fast, there was barely enough time to launch an attack before the two had to dodge or duck out of the way of its attacks.

"Ratticate, use Skull Bash!" Ratticate lowered its head, and charged at Negi, who held his wand in front of him.

"Reflexio!" A barrier formed in front of the child mage, and all Ratticate could do was harmlessly bounce off of the barrier, before scurrying away to another part of the field.

"This isn't working!" Agatha stated. "We need to come up with a better plan!"

"I've got one," Negi told her, "but I'll need you to buy some time for me!"

"Okay!" she turned to her Arbok. "Use Poison Sting to lure Ratticate to the back of the room!"

"CHA!" Arbok opened its mouth, and a series of purple darts shot out at Ratticate. The Mouse Pokemon jumped back to avoid taking damage, but then had to move out of the way again to dodge another volley. This continued for several seconds, until Ratticate felt something on its back. Looking around, it realized that it had backed into a corner. Arbok loomed large overhead.

"Wrap attack!" The Cobra Pokemon shot forward, and coiled around Ratticate. The Mouse Pokemon tried to struggle out of the grip, but Arbok simply continued to tighten its grip on the Pokemon.

"Ratticate, no!" Butch called out. "Use Super Fang!" Ratticate stopped struggling, and instead wiggled its way around until it reached a position where it could bite Arbok with its massive teeth.

"CHAR-R-R!" the Cobra Pokemon cried in pain. Its grip on Ratticate loosened immensely.

"Now use Iron Tail!" Ratticate's tail glowed silver, and with a quick snap, knocked Arbok across the room. The Cobra Pokemon slid to a stop right in front of Agatha.

"Arbok!" she cried.

"Finish it!" Butch ordered. "Take Down!" The Ratticate started to make a headlong charge at both Agatha and Arbok. That was when Negi stepped in.

"Flee, One Gust of Wind! Flans Saltatio Pulverea!" A powerful gust of wind blew in Ratticate's direction, threatening to blow the Mouse Pokemon off of its feet.

"Too easy!" Butch commented. "Use the wind to your advantage!" Ratticate skidded to a stop, turned around, and leapt into the air, allowing itself to be carried by the wind towards the wall. The Mouse Pokemon turned around so that its feet were able to touch the wall when it reached the opposite end of the room. Once it did, and the wind died down, Ratticate used those feet to act like a springboard, and, like a rocket, shot at Negi with another Take Down. This time, however, he was ready, and held out his hand in front of him.

"Emittam! Fulguratio Albicans!" A powerful blast of electricity shot out of Negi's palm just as the Ratticate was about to tackle him, zapping the Mouse Pokemon to the bone, and rendering it unconscious.

"…ra…"

"Ah!" Butch gasped. "Ratticate, return!" He held out Ratticate's Pokeball, and recalled the fallen Pokemon.

"Amazing!" Agatha remarked, as she used a spray device on Arbok, who quickly looked rejuvenated. "Tell me, child, what was that you just did?"

"It's a delayed spell," the child mage explained. "I didn't think that casting a spell right in front of Ratticate would do any good, so I decided to use a delayed spell, setting it up with a delayed attack. It was a rather spur of the moment thought, though…at least we're finished with Bull now-"

"The name's BUTCH!" the aforementioned Rocket yelled. "And I still have more Pokemon! Hitmontop, you're up!" He threw out a new Pokeball, which contained a brown and blue martial artist-like creature that looked like it had a top on its head.

"Hitmontop!"

"Eh?-!" Negi gasped. "How many Pokemon does this guy have?-!"

"We forgot to mention this earlier," Agatha admitted, "but trainers can carry up to six Pokemon. Rockets are known to have more on hand."

"We'll be here forever fighting these two!" Negi realized, before jumping out of the way of one of Hitmontop's attacks. Meanwhile, Asuna was busy blocking attack after attack foe Alyssia, Gastly, and Gengar, as the battle there quickly turned into a three-on-three…two-on-three after Sableye launched a Shadow Ball at Gastly.

"GA-A-A-STLY!" the Gas Pokemon cried, before lazily floating over behind Alyssia. The ghost turned around, and made a brief check on the Pokemon's condition.

"Asuna! Gastly's taken too much damage! It can't-EEH!-!" She came face-to-face with Granbull, who was about to use bight on her. Alyssia shut her eyes, waiting to feel the sickening crunch…but only heard a thwack. She opened her eyes to find that this time, Asuna had thrown her sword at the Fairy Pokemon. Miraculously, the Pokemon only connected with the broad side, and again sent the Granbull into the nearest wall.

"T-that's twice you've saved me!" Alyssia exclaimed.

"Glad to be of service," the redhead replied, "but now I have no weapon!" The Zanbato clattered to the ground on the other end of the room.

"Recall the Pactio card!" Negi shouted to her.

"Oh yeah!" Asuna chimed. _'Man, do I feel like Baka Red right now…'_ "Abeat!" The sword vanished in a flash of light, and Asuna's Pactio card reappeared in her hand. "Ade-GUAH!-!" Suddenly, a Shadow Ball struck her in the back, sending her right to the ground. She managed to flip over, and saw her assailant – Sableye.

"Fury Swipes!" Cassidy ordered. Without mercy, the Darkness Pokemon unleashed a devastating series of slashes, scratches, and swipes at Asuna. The Baka Ranger could only put her hands up in defense of her face, as blow after blow left scores of cuts and gashes in her arms, hands, body, and legs.

"AAH!-!" She screamed, gaining everyone's attention, as Sableye jumped backwards to prepare a final attack.

"ASUNA!" Alyssia gasped.

"NO!" Negi cried, and tried to rush in and intervene. The moment he turned around, however, he was whacked in the face by a kick from Hitmontop, knocking him to the ground.

"Now, Sableye!" Cassidy ordered. "Finish her! Shadow Ball!" The Darkness Pokemon formed another Shadow Ball in its hands. It brought the attack over its head, ready to throw it at Asuna…and then turned into red energy, and returned into its Pokeball.

"Huh?-!" Cassidy gasped in belief. Suddenly, Granbull returned into its Pokeball as well.

"That's what you get for ordering an attack on a per-?-!" Butch said, before seeing Mightyena and Hitmontop recall themselves as well. "You two?-!" Even Agatha's Arbok disappeared in a flash of red energy.

"Arbok!" Agatha gasped. "What's wrong?-!" Negi got off the gound, ran over to Asuna, and helped her up off the ground.

"Are you okay, Asuna?-!" he asked, very much concerned for his student's well-being. Red lines wend down her arms, the top of her hands, and her feet, varying in their severity. Her clothing was a mess as well: deep gashes had torn off most of the fabric of her shirt and skirt, leaving the poor girl in her undergarments, the top-left side of her shirt, and about a third of her skirt.

"I-I'll live," the girl assured him. "But wha…what's going?-NGH!"

"Easy," Agatha cautioned, as the redhead winced in pain.

"I...I'm not too sure…" He looked at Alyssia. She in turn was observing Gastly and Gengar, who were starting to nervously look around the room.

"Gastly, Gengar, what's the matter?" she asked.

"G-g-ghas-s…"

"G-gengar…"

"I've never seen a Ghost Pokemon this scared before in my life," Cassidy noted.

"I have," Agatha said. "I was watching coverage of the Rocket takeover three years ago when they zoomed in on a Haunter that belongs to a friend of mine. It was trying so hard to get away from the tower, just minutes before the loud noise that Mr. Fuji told us about was heard." She paused. "Pokemon are extremely tuned to their environments, not just the ecosystem in which they live in, but also the spiritual world. If there was something that would make even Ghost-Type Pokemon, perhaps the nastiest and most terrifying Pokemon of all, quaver where they stand…"

"**You're…here…" **Everyone looked around the room to try and find the source of the voice.

"W-what was that?-!" Cassidy asked. The air seemed to be getting heavier and colder.

"…**I'm trapped…"**

"B-butch, stop creeping me out, okay?-!"

"I-it's not me!" the Rocket member said. "Honest!"

"…**and I'm lonely…"**

"If it's not...any one of us," Asuna guessed weakly, "then...who is it?"

"Oh no…!" Alyssia gasped. Negi let go of Asuna, allowing her to go over to the ghost.

"Alyssia, what's wrong?"

"I-it's him!" she answered, scooting behind Asuna. "The being that killed me three years ago!"

"…**so very lonely…"**

"Are you sure?" Agatha pressed. Alyssia nodded. "Negi."

"Yes?" the child mage responded to the Elite Four member.

"Whatever is causing the Pokemon to retreat to safety belongs to that voice. Its power is clearly much more than the Pokemon can comprehend, hence why they are cowering back into their Pokeballs. We can't do a thing without our Pokemon, so it's up to you and Asuna to keep us safe from that being."

"We'll do our best," Negi promised. Agatha shook her head.

"You can't do your best," she said. "You must win. For all of us"

"…**won't you join me?" **The room suddenly started to shake violently. The lights in the room flickered on and off rapidly, and cracks appeared in the floor and walls.

"Butch, get us out of here!" Cassidy shrieked.

"I don't know how!" Butch screamed.

"Get ready, you two!" Agatha ordered. "It's coming!"

"**JOIN ME!-!-!"**

* * *

_For Your Information…_

_Dawn's dress is the same one worn during the Sinnoh Grand Festival, with minor changes._

_Misty's dress is the one she wore on the Weekly Pokémon Broadcasting Station that ran from 2002-2004 in Japan._

_As the description can attest to, Jillian loves to cosplay characters from various anime series. This one should be a no brainer, but who's she cosplaying for the Cherrygrove contest?_

_If Agatha's lines in the beginning sound slightly OOC, it's because the part was originally given to Phoebe. I think I fixed everything, but..._

_While Alyssia is an original character in the Pokemon fandom, she's based off of a younger version of Alyssia from my Shadow Wood Academy fanfiction. For the purpose of attack-on-person data, treat both her and Sayo (when we get to her) as Ghost-Types, sharing the same strengths and weaknesses as their Pokemon counterparts. If that wasn't obvious already._

_The ending is inspired by the conspiracy theories surrounding Lavender Town. Since there is no definitive proof that validates them, we cannot make any assumption on the truth of these claims. The particular entry is based off of the alleged 'Buryman script' that is supposed to be the original boss of Pokemon Tower. I will not, however, use the description that was provided of the Buryman (this is a T story after all; do you want me to describe a rotting corpse in detail?...I thought so). Therefore, he will be replaced with a creature that any MSN fan should know._

_I'm not responsible if you read the ending just before going to bed and got nightmares as a result._

_So it's exactly two chapters from Team Rocket's raid on Prof. Oak's lab, and already, two groups of heroes are in terrible messes. One puts friendship and a ribbon on the line, the other…the lives of six people and their Pokemon. Will Dawn or Misty win the Cherrygrove Contest ribbon? Will Negi and Asuna be able to fend off the hideous being that attacks them? And who will be the next girl introduced in the story? Find out next time, so read, review, and check out my other stories in the meantime!_


	8. Buzzer Kill

_A few changes implemented after this chapter. Any review that's able to be replied to via PM will be replied via PM. Also, there are no more chapter previews. I want to be able to do changes to the chapter without hurting the original title, as I'm doing with this chapter. And I decided to actually use the points system in the contest, unlike what was previously said. Here goes nothing…_

From Pete the Rock: Quite a bit of time to do this chapter, almost as long as it took me to update "Comedic Soldiers." As for that Pokemon/InuYasha/Girls Bravo, I took it down since there was one flame and no one else reviewed it. I don't know if I'll make a better version in the future but I do have other work I'm doing. Back to your story which was awesome but a few hiccups like Misty and Dawn's conversation at the start.

Dawn: "Well, I did fell a few Butterfrees in my stomach."

A small mistake which I known spellcheck wouldn't detect but didn't she mean this:

Dawn: "Well, I did feel a few Butterfrees in my stomach."

Another thing I noticed and I don't necessarily recommend but during Misty's and Dawn's performances, you could bundle it up to just one paragraph since it's the same person. And yes, it's spelled "Johto" not "Jotoh." The multi-battle was a twist I doubt anyone saw coming. As for the next girl, I'm hoping for either Evangeline or Setsuna helping Negi and Asuna or still in break Nodoka appearing in front of Ash and Pikachu. I can only hope but I'm not your god. Well, off to have Ash and Vega fight for Sakura's life. Long story. TC and KIU!

From KKid: Again, thanks for the corrections. I think I have Johto spelled right…I hope. The multi-battle is just another way of making this contest unique frome the ones in Hoenn, Kanto, and Sinnoh. You do see the former two this chapter. Nodo-chan…not much further to the Violet City arc, right? Thanks for the review!

From avatoa: Huh, I wonder what Asuna and Negi will be fighting against? Please update this chapter ASAP so I may know more.

From KKid: Thanks for the review!

From SonicAnime2010: Wow, surprising twist with the ghosts and team rocket against Negi, I'm not too surprised that Asuna is with him. Moving on great job on the contest, I'm surprised that they decided to go with a 4 way free for all for the finals. Heh heh kinda reminds me of DBZ when they had the tournament during the majin buu saga. Think thats not really working for me is that the POV gets changed too often and its hard for me to keep up with it, other than that nothing wrong. I look forward to the next chapter.

From KKid: Well, a few changes here and there, but that's the jist of it. The twin POVs should return to normal for the time being after this chapter. Not to say I won't try it again, but we're returning the focus onto our heroes in Johto. Thanks for the review!

From Nascardrivers2: Great chapterso far. Dawn should use Togekiss and Misty should use Caserin(Luvdisc). Konoka should be the next girl the group finds and she should befriend a wild pokemon like eevee or riolu. Here is a list of pokemon Yue should catch shinx finneon swablu dratini happiny and hoppip.

From KKid: One, we already knew last chapter that Dawn registered Piplup for the second round. And the Pokemon decided for the Negima cast were planned out long in advance. Not many people will get Pokemon, but at least two others will. Thanks for the review!

From Novice Reader 117: I've been on a pokemon kick again lately and look what I find without even looking. Cool story, would'nt go with a squirlte and hoothoot for Yues' first pokemon, but I would probably have went overboard.

On another point, I dont see Yue as a sky (light, wind, lightning) mage, not flighty enought. Maby give her spells from a other element like water and ice. Yeah I know there arent many'of those spells seen in the manga, but there not difficult to make(execpt the incantions), arrows of light become arrows of water, lightning arrows(added damage stun effect) become boiling water arrows(added damage burn effect) ect. A competent magical girl Yue, cool, a mini Negi clone Yue, not as cool.

Hope to read some more of this soon. Goodby and good writing.

From KKid: Squirtle, I needed her Pokemon to be weak to one owned by a character that's been mentioned a lot, but has yet to appear. Hoothoot's her Suka Card. :)

Yue does used lightning spells further along in the manga, however, and it wouldn't be surprising to see her, er, affinity, with Negi to rub off on her spell choice. She also uses a lightning spell in the anime. Thanks for the review!

From Johan07: This chapter was kinda boring since it was mainly focusing on Misty and Asuna and their whatnots.

I'm looking forward to the next chapter.

From KKid: Yeah, that was mainly to set up the action for this chapter. Thanks for the review!

From Yukari Sendou: Nice. Yeah... When I reviewed last time, I had barely read any of the manga, and didn't even know what the Ala Alba was, so I'm more caught up now, and I understand this more. Good chap, I hope the next one's great too.

From KKid: Thanks for the review! Oh, and to everyone who didn't review…shame on you all.

_I'll admit that this and the previous chapter are not my best works, but I've pounded them out. Enjoy!_

* * *

**Chapter VIII: Buzzer Kill**

The fog surrounding Lavender Town began to grow thicker, even though it was still a few hours away from nightfall. To the casual observer, it seemed like the sun just wasn't strong enough today  
to burn a hole through it or even sliced with a knife. To the keener eyes, however, something was clearly off, more so than a town where deceased Pokemon are remembered should be.

As it happened, such a person was standing on the western hill overlooking the town. With a curious apparel choice of a white and blue sailor outfit with a red ribbon, knee-high black socks, and brown shoes, she stared into the mass of mist that engulfed the terrain in front of her. Her short, pitch-black hair waved in a gentle breeze, contrasting with her pale skin. She wore kitsune ear and tail accessories, and a sheathed sword was slung around her side, and rested by her left hip.

'_Professor Negi and Asuna did go into the town, but Mini-Setsuna suddenly dissolved before I could contact them. And then the fog suddenly grew thicker…I'm sure the two can handle anything that faces them within reason…but…'_

"**So you feel it too, Setsuna Sakurazak." **In an eyeblink, the girl whipped around, pointing her now-unsheathed sword towards the person several feet behind her. The person was a young woman, in her early twenties at the most, with black hair that was lighter and much longer than Setsuna's. She wore a pink tank-top that exposed some midriff with white pants and pink running shoes. She had a thick black Pokemon belt with a silver buckle, and each wrist had a thick black armband, which had pulsating neon green lines running through the object.

"Who are you?-!" Setsuna demanded. "And how did you know my name?-!"

"Three years ago, I had a vision of this fog appearing…as well as your arrival. I also do not need to look at you to tell that you are not of this world."

"You're a psychic?"

"That is correct. My name is Sabrina, the leader of the Saffron City Pokemon Gym. A pleasure to meet you."

"Likewise…you said that you knew that this mist would appear?" Sabrina nodded.

"Yes. Three years ago, there was an incident in the town. The Gym Leaders were called in to contain the threat, but something happened…and resulted in three people going missing. Officially, these people were kidnapped, but our Pokemon know otherwise…" she looked towards the fog.

"There's something in the town that's not living, is there?" Setsuna asked.

"I cannot say. My visions do not always paint the clearest pictures. Sometimes, they can me smeared by…other things." She turned towards Setsuna. "Your two friends will be safe."

"Another vision?"

"I can never tell all my visions to the ordinary…or semi-ordinary in your case.

"**Well, well, well…what's the Gym Leader of Saffron doing all the way out here?"** Sabrina didn't even turn around.

"I could say the same for you, Tobias." Tobias seemed hurt.

"Now, come, come, Sabrina! Just because I bested you with my Darkrai two years ago doesn't mean that we can't act as civilized people, especially in front of another person."

"Excuse me," Setsuna interrupted, "but do you two know each other?"

"Only as competitors," Sabrina quickly spoke. "What is your business here in Lavender Town, Tobias?"

"Even a man with the purest of intentions can't be above scrutiny? I was busy clearing the radio tower of Team Rocket, but was stopped partway up. I am now heading to the Pokemon Center in your city."

"For them to beat you," Sabrina noted, "there must be some very high-ranking grunts in the town."

"More than you could imagine. Fortunately, Agatha is there, along with a girl and some kid wearing a business suit." That tipped Setsuna off.

"Excuse me, but did any of them say their names?" Tobias thought for a second.

"The girl did mention a 'Negi' person," he told her. "I think it was the boy…"

'_So they're still in the town!'_ she thought. _'We can meet up and-?-!' _A sudden wave of malice, more than anything that Setsuna's faced in her time in Mahora Academy, overcame her. The swordswoman felt dizzy for moment, and staggered a few steps backwards. Tobias did the same, although he only swayed in his place. Sabrina, however, collapsed to the ground, clutching her head in pain. "Sabrina!"

The Gym Leader removed her hands from her head. "Y-yes…" she turned her head towards the enshrouded town. "It's starting…"

"Whatever was producing that kind of energy is very powerful," Tobias reasoned. "I'm not even sure Agatha can hold her own…" Setsuna thought about some other people that were in the area.

"We must go now," Sabrina stated, getting up. "If we are to be there in time…"

"Right!" Setsuna and Sabrina began to sprint towards Lavender Town. Before they left, however, the psychic gave Tobias one last glare. The Pokemon trainer watched the two until they disappeared under the veil of the fog.

'_To anyone aside from myself, what they are doing is suicide. But Sabrina seems to have seen the outcome of the fight already, among other things. Also, if it is him in there…'_ He pulled out a Pokeball, and released Latios.

"You know where to go," he said as he hopped onto the Eon Pokemon. He then remembered Sabrina's attitude towards him. "That woman knows too much."

* * *

To say what was facing Negi, Asuna, and co. was hideous would be an understatement. True, it didn't look to the degree of some of the video games that Chachamaru says her master plays on occasion, nor was it something straight out of Haruna's inner subconscious, but it was still very terrifying. With its tattered blood-red wings, black skeletal body, and the toothy smirk on its dark red face, the demon seemed to have come straight out of the depths of hell. Add to the fact there was a red diamond embedded into its chest, ram horns that grew out of the thing's head, and it was about thirty feet tall…it could even make a Groudon look puny in comparison.

The space inside the top room seemed to change as well. Instead of everyone being in a nice spacious office room, they were standing on a barren dirt plain, with nothing but a purple and amber skyline as far as the eye could see.

"W-w-where are we?-!" Cassidy asked.

"If I had to guess," Negi reasoned, "we're in some kind of alternate dimension, created by that demon. It might not be able to survive in the real environment otherwise." The demon glared down at them, its toothy grin widening.

"**Join me…I want…to play…"**

"D-d-does he mean play games o-or play with his food?-!" Butch stammered.

"L-let's try not to find out!" Asuna suggested.

"Gengar! Gengar-Gen!" Everyone looked at the Shadow Pokemon. It was pointing behind them, towards a bright light some distance away. On further inspection, the point of light turned out to be the staircase into the top room.

"It's the exit!" Alyssia cried.

"That's our ticket home!" Butch exclaimed. Something caught Agatha's eye.

"Look out!" she called. Above them, the demon curled his hand into a fist, and was bring his arm down, aiming to crush the group.

"Run for it!" Asuna ordered, though it was already being enacted. They managed to escape their deaths by a mere second, as the fist slammed the ground where they once stood, leaving a crater that was the size of a minivan and about a foot deep. The shockwaves almost tripped Butch and Cassidy, but the two Rockets managed to keep on going, and were soon ahead of the rest of the group.

"Almost there! Almost there!" Cassidy panted.

"I've never been happier in my life to see the brightness of-eh?-!" Butch screeched to a halt, followed by everyone else. Ahead, some of the dirt swirled up into a dust cloud, impeding their path. The cloud soon shrunk and solidified, turning into two humanoid shapes, one smaller than the other.

"R-r-rocket grunt zombie!-!-!" The two rocket agents screamed.

"And the mother Marowak!" Agatha exclaimed. "No...they're golems, probably filled with spirits that are controlled by the demon behind us."

"**You only have just joined us…" **the demon said. **"Why not stay longer…"**

"How are the two of us supposed to take on both that mega-demon and these two creatures at the same time?-!" Asuna cried.

"Gastly! Gastly-gas-gastly!"

"Huh?" Alyssia turned to her two friends.

"Gengar-Gengar! Gen-Gen-Gengar!"

"Gastly!"

"They said that they're not terrified of fighting these golems!" she translated. "We can fight them, while Negi and Asuna fight the demon!" The demon brought its hand down again.

"GO!" Negi ordered. The group split up in time to avoid being crushed again. Gengar launched a Shadow Ball at the Marowak, but the Bone Keeper Pokemon simply swatted it away with her bone.

"If Gengar and Gastly are willing to attack the golems, then…" she took out a Pokeball. "Golbat! Air Cutter!" a blue bat with purple wings and a massive mouth appeared, and shot air waves at the Rocket golem, making cuts into the dusty brown skin. "Team Rocket! Release your Pokemon!"

"Hey!" Cassidy retorted. "Don't boss us around!"

"Do we even have a choice if we want to get out of here?" Butch wondered, leading to Cassidy slapping him.

"I was just about to release mine anyway! Sableye! Fury Swipes!"

"H-hitmontop! Use your Triple Kick!" The two Pokemon did as ordered, with Sableye putting more scratches on the Rocket golem, and the Handstand Pokemon kicking Marowak's bone in two.

"Yes!" Alyssia cheered. "We're getting through!" But Agatha raised her hand to quiet her.

"Look closely!" she ordered. Hitmontop jumped back onto its feet, kicking up a small cloud of dust. The dust cloud swirled around the Marowak's hand, forming another bone. At the same time, Sableye finished its barrage of scratches, and landed on the ground. The small amounts of dust that were disturbed because of this were enough to repair the wounds on the golem's body.

"T-they're…regenerating…" Butch realized.

"Biff, how are we going to defeat something that can't be injured?-!" Cassidy asked.

"IT'S BUTCH!-! And I have no idea!"

"There's only one," Agatha said solemnly. "We need an attack that completely engulfs their body, then Water-type attack that reduces it into a pile of mud. If not, any movements that we make will only allow them to heal their wounds." Something clicked in Butch's head.

"We've got both!" he said. "Hitmontop, return! Go, Mightyena, Cloyster!" Mightyena was on standby, as was a giant shell creature with a black sphere and a spike for a head.

"Mightyena, use Hyper Beam on the Marowak! Completely obliterate her!" The Bite Pokemon nodded, and shot out the attack, which was wide enough to engulf most of the golem's body. With some maneuvering, the entire golem was reduced to dust.

"Quick Cloyster, use Water Gun!" The Bivalve Pokemon skillfully shot a small stream of water at the dust pile, reducing it into a sloshy mud bath.

"Good job!" Butch cheered. "Now let's-huh?" The Rocket golem's left arm suddenly fell off, kicking up even more dust. This cloud not only restored the golem's arm, but also created a new Marowak golem. "N-no way!"

Cassidy stated what was on everyone's minds. "W…w-we can't win against these beings, can we?"

* * *

"Welcome to the Final round of the Cherrygrove City Pokemon Contest!" Jillian announced. "As per Johto Contest standards, all finalists face each other in the multi-battle format, attacking their opponents all at once! Contestants have either five minutes to either knock out their opponents, eliminate their opponent's points, or have their points less than their own. To refresh everyone's memory, on the right side of the field are Dawn from Twinleaf Town and Misty from Cerulean City, and on the left are Marissa from Viridian City and Roy from Olivine City!"

"Hey, Dawn!" Misty called over to her friend. "How about we tag team the other two before battling each other?"

"Ah? S-sure!" Dawn said.

"Trainers, release your Pokemon!" Jillian ordered.

"Piplup, Spot-light!"

"Corsola, I choose you!"

"Let's do this, Growlithe!"

"Pikachu, go!"

Dawn released her Pipulp, while Misty sent out a pink and white coral-like creature. Marissa sent out an orange puppy with cream colored fur and black stripes, and Roy sent out a Pikachu. Up in the stands, Yue was busy with the Pokedex.

*CORSOLA, THE CORAL POKÉMON. A COMBINATION OF BOTH WATER AND ROCK TYPES, IT SHEDS AND REGROWS THE HORNS ON ITS HEAD NUMEROUS TIMES.*

*GROWLITHE, THE PUPPY POKEMON. GROWLITHE ARE POKEMON OF A PLEASANT DEMEANOR AND GREAT DILIGENCE. THEY DRIVE AWAY ENEMIES WITH BARKS AND BIGHTS, BUT WHEN TAMED, WILL NOT DO SO UNLESS ORDERED.*

"Interesting choices," Brock noted. "Both of them picked small, agile water types so that they could adapt to their opponent's attacks quickly. And given that Corsola's also a Rock-type, they should breeze by Growlithe with no problem."

"But what about the Pikachu?" Chamo asked. "I've felt how bad it is to be fried by one, so what would a Pokemon that is weak to electricity feel?"

"You can do it, guys!" Ash yelled. Pikachu, Azurill, and Buneary, who now joined them in a cheerleader's outfit complete with pom-poms, cheered as well.

"Pika-Pika!"

"Azu! Azu!"

"Bun-Bun!"

"Ready?" Jillian said. "Start!"

"Piplup, use Bubblebeam on the Growlithe!" Piplup began to run at the Puppy Pokemon, and fired a stream of bubbles in its direction.

"Corsola, Spike Cannon!" Corsola leaned forward, and turned a brilliant white. Spikes suddenly shot out of its back, aimed right at the Pikachu.

"Dodge it!" The two Pokemon leapt into the air, doing a combined somersault to dodge the attacks. This took a chunk of points out of Dawn's and Misty's scores. From there, the battle split. Dawn took on Marissa, and Misty took on Roy.

"Piplup, use Whirlpool!" Piplup raised its head and hands into the air. Instantly, a spiraling, spinning vortex of water formed in the air above it.

"Growlithe, use your Fire Spin!" The Puppy Pokemon opened its mouth, and unleashed a spinning flame right at Piplup. The Penguin Pokemon threw the Whirlpool right towards the flame, creating a cloud of mist that obscured all vision. When the mist subsided, it seemed like both Pokemon received damage, Growlithe more so than Piplup. Thus, while both of their points went down, Marissa's took a bigger hit.

"Don't let up!" Dawn ordered. Hydro Pump!" A torrent of water flew out of the Penguin Pokemon's beak, and swamped the Growlithe. The Puppy Pokemon couldn't take the hit, and was knocked out instantly by the hit.

"Growlithe is unable to continue the battle!" Jillian declared. "In less than thirty seconds, Dawn has taken one competitor out of the playing field!"

"Yes!" Dawn cheered. "One down!"

"Pip-Piplup! PIP?-!" The Penguin Pokemon ducked to avoid being hit by a flying Corsola. Misty's battle wasn't going as smoothly as she had originally hoped for. She had already lost half of her points, and Corsola was looking in very bad shape.

"Corsola, Recover!" The Coral Pokemon nodded, and began to glow white. The damage began to heal, and Corsola looked as if it was fresh out of the Pokemon Center. Roy's points, meanwhile, took a nosedive.

"Pikachu, another Thunderbolt attack!" The Electric Mouse Pokemon fired a blast of lightning at Corsola.

"Tackle!" Corsola charged at the Pikachu, dodging the attack and lowering Roy's points in the process. The Coral Pokemon then rammed into the Electric Mouse Pokemon headlong. Instead of being upset, however, Roy seemed to be happy.

"Alright, Pikachu!" he called out. "Discharge!"

"Ack!" Misty gasped.

"Piplup, get out of the way!" Dawn ordered. Everything happened at once. The Electric Mouse Pokemon released a massive amount of stored energy. Piplup was able to hop, skip, and trip his way out of the attack, saving Dawn from a points loss. Corsola, however, was still in the middle of its Tackle attack, and received the full blow of the Discharge. The Coral Pokemon hobbled around, looking like it had never used Recover.

"Corsola, fall back and use Recover!" Corsola tried, but it couldn't move. "No!"

"Pikachu, finish it off with Iron Tail!" The Pikachu's tail gained a metallic luster, before being used as a bat to propel Corsola into the air. When it came down, the Coral Pokemon was able to stand, but Misty was out of points.

"Misty's out of points," Jillian announced, "so she's all out of luck today! Better luck next time!"

"W-what happened to Corsola?-!" Yue asked.

"It looked like it was paralyzed out there!" Chamo added.

"It was," Ash replied. "That Pikachu had the static ability, so when Corsola came into contact with it, Corsola had a chance of being paralyzed, which happened." Misty fell to the ground, and took a big breath of air.

"C…corsola?" her Pokemon looked at her. A small tear came out of her trainer's eye.

"It's nothing, Corsola. You did your best out there. Now take a good long rest." She returned her Corsola into its Pokeball. Dawn looked at her, remembering how it was when she lost her very first concert as well. Then she remembered that she was still in her match, and instantly tensed up, wishing that she had to face Corsola instead of Pikachu.

* * *

Meanwhile, Negi and Asuna were having severe problems of their own. Considering that the Demon was many times taller than them, that was understandable.

"Why is it always us against the most powerful beings in existence, Negi!" Asuna complained.

"Because there isn't anyone else around!" he replied.

"What I wouldn't give for Eva...!"

"A stream of light to cut through the night, spring forth from my hand and throttle my enemy! Fulguratio Albicans!" Negi casted the spell, but it didn't seem to affect the demon. "No good! It really is undead!"

"Watch it!" Asuna cried, putting her sword above their heads, protecting them from another squash from the demon. "Try shooting a spell at my sword when I'm in the air!"

"What?-!" Negi protested. "Even though the lightning could be directed through the blade, it's suicidal!"

"Don't worry, stupid Negi! You're not gonna harm me one bit!" As soon as the demon lifted his fist, Asuna leapt into the air. "Now!"

"I wasn't talking about the Magic Cancel!-! Ngh, Come, Spirits of Air and Lightning! With Lightning flees the Southern Storm! Iovis Tempestas Fulguriens!" The lighting tornado was aimed right at Asuna, engulfing her in the storm. The attack seemed to change direction, and aimed for the jewel on its chest. The demon seemed to be hurt by the attack, and cried in pain. Asuna, meanwhile, seemed to be unaffected by the attack.

"The jewel's its weak point!" Negi realized. Just then, the demon swiftly moved his arm, and Asuna was snatched into the demon's palm.

"Asuna!-!"

"N-negi! Help!"

"**You…"** the demon said. **"You have a strange ability…that would be beneficial to me…" **The demon brought Asuna up to where the jewel was, and placed her on his skin. Asuna's body suddenly began to be absorbed into the demon's body, until her legs were completely sucked into the demon's skin.

"Ah! Negi! Get me outta this creepy thing!"

"Hold on!" he called back. "Come, Spirits of Air and Lightning! With Lightning flees the Southern Storm!-! Iovis Tempestas Fulguriens!" Again, he aimed towards the jewel. This time, however, the attack bounced off of some force field, and scattered in various directions. One bolt even electrocuted Butch.

"Chuck!" his partner gasped. "Are you alright?-!"

"…that's it…I'm gonna go through…with a name…change…bleah…"

"What happened?-!" Alyssia exclaimed. "Shouldn't it have worked again?-!"

"No…" Negi gasped. "He's absorbed Asuna's 'Magic Cancel' ability!" Agatha thought about what he said.

"'Magic Cancel'…then you can't attack the demon now, can you?" Negi nodded. Asuna was suddenly absorbed more into the demon's body, until only her upper torso, right arm, and head stuck out.

"Hey, I know I like mature guys, but you're a creep! Let go of me!"

"**HAHAHAHA!" **the demon laughed. **"Finally, fresh meat!" **He swung his fist down in front of Negi, causing a shockwave that knocked the child mage back towards the others. The two golems closed in on the group.

"No…Asuna!"

"If she's absorbed any further," Alyssia stated, "then she'll become just like me!" the thought of that wasn't too appealing to anyone.

"And we'll join you guys in a moment!" Cassidy noted. "We're doomed!"

"**AL-A-KAZAM!-!" **The group barely had time to get out of the way of Hyper Beam attack of massive proportions that was headed in their direction. It struck the two golems, instantly disintegrating them.

"W…what power!" Negi gasped.

"S-scary, even…" Butch remarked.

"Sabrina!" Agatha called out. "You have to seal the golems!"

"Already on it!" the psychic replied. "Alakazam, Haunter, Ice Punch!" Alakazam and another Pokemon (who looked like a more tangible Gastly with purple skin and disconnected hands) began to punch the ground where the golems once were.. Each time they punched, instead of dust forming, ice froze on the ground. The golems were now stuck, unable to reform.

A flash of skin and white suddenly shot up and flew towards the demon's chest. The demon tried to swat it out of the sky, but the being evaded the attempt. At the same time, Asuna began to be fully absorbed into the bones.

"H-hel-!" Her cry was cut off when her head went into the bones, leaving her hand as the only object in the open air, which wasn't to last long…until a hand grabbed hold of it. Another hand unsheathed a sword, which was thrust into the jewel. The demon reacted, howling in pain yet again. The being then grabbed Asuna with both hands, and proceeded to pull Asuna out of the being. First the head came out, then the torso, and finally the rest of her body. They managed to get out of the area before the demon slapped them with its hand – but not because they flew out of the way. The sudden bearing of Asuna's full weight almost caused him to be dropped.

"Ngh! Y-you're much heavier than Miss Konoka, Asuna!"

"Give me another comment on my weight again, stupid Negi, and I'll – wait, Setsuna?-!"

"Happy to see you too," she responded. Setsuna looked the same as before, except that now, there were two giant white wings protruding out of her back, at least three times longer than her height.

"Wah, an angel!" Alyssia exclaimed. "I can go to the afterlife now in peace…!"

"Actually," Negi corrected, "Setsuna's my student."

"Wow, so God has asked you to teach an angel?-! How cool!"

"Kid, that's not what he meant," Butch groaned. Setsuna landed by the group, and allowed Setsuna to get off. Sabrina approached Negi.

"Professor Negi…"

"Eh? You know I'm a teacher?"

"Sabrina's trains Psychic Pokemon," Agatha explained to him, "and is a psychic herself."

"You dropped something," Sabrina said to him, "and she landed in my gym. She might be able to help you."

"Eh?" Negi asked quizzically. "I thought I had everything in my pockets…wait, she?" Sabrina reached into a pants pocket, and seemed to grimace. When she took her hand out, something was clamped down onto her finger. She shook it off, and it flung at Negi, who caught in his hands. It looked like a doll, but it was moving. And it had a striking resemblance to…

"M-master?"

"Oh, it's the Boya. Wonderful." True, it was Evangeline in the flesh – long, frizzy blonde hair, cold blue eyes, and uncaring expression, plus she was wearing her black sleeveless sailor outfit with a white tie and cross. The only problem was that she was no taller than Chibi-Setsuna.

"Chibi-Eva?" Asuna asked, a small smirk on her face.

"Don't call me Chibi!" Eva snapped. "I can still rip your throat out!"

"But you don't feel like you have all of your strength in that-OUCH!" Eva bit his finger.

"Shup up, sun uth the Thusund Mustur!"

"Uh, hello?" Cassidy interrupted. "Big giant demon-thing coming to murder us?-!" The demon was slowly walking towards them.

"Can't we just run away?-!" asked.

"The demon will only follow us outside," Sabrina responded. "We have to stop it here; otherwise, it will lay waste to the surrounding towns."

"That thing looks like something straight out of an anime I was watching the other day," Chibi-Eva commented nonchalantly.

"Forget about that!" Asuna said. "Can you help us beat it?-!"

"Why should I?"

"Eva-?-!"

"Calm down, Asuna," Sabrina told her. She picked up Chibi-Eva.

"Hey! Let me down, you witch!"

"Help us, or I'll have Haunter tag along with you for eternity." The Shinso vampire paled.

"Y-you wouldn't dare?-!" A smirk from Sabrina said otherwise. "Fine! Jeez, it's only a simple demon, what are-?"

"HURRY UP!-!" Butch and Cassidy screamed at her.

"Okay, okay! I get it!" She climbed up Sabrina's arm, and stood on her hair. "Heed the Contract and Serve Me, Queen of Ice! Come, Unending Darkness, Eternal Glacier!" The demon suddenly began to be encased in ice, starting from its jewel.

"**What power…no…this cannot be…me, to lose…to a mere child…!"** More of the demon became frozen.

"Bring Death to All That Has Life, Eternal Rest! Kosmike Katastrophe!" The demon was fully encased in a sheet of ice. "You were not beaten by a 'mere child!' You were completely annihilated by the Queen of the Night, the Lord of Darkness, Evangeline A. K. McDowell-!"

"In chibi form."

"You're next if you don't shut up, Red! Brich bah!" Evangeline snapped her fingers. Instantly, the ice shattered, and a rain of liquid and solid water collapsed to the ground.

"HAHAHAHAHA-eh?-!" The demon was still standing, albeit it barely. "WHAT?-! Kosmike Katastrophie is supposed to kill their targets, not leave them half-dead!"

"It's weakened, though!" Setsuna noted. "We can still beat it!"

"Negi!" Asuna said.

"Right! Ras tel Ma Scir Magister! Come, Spirits of Air and Lightning! With Lightning flees the Southern Storm!-! Iovis Tempestas Fulguriens!" For the third time, Negi shot a twister of electricity at the demon, hitting it square in the jewel. This time, the force was enough to have the jewel break.

"**H…HOW COULD THIS BE?-! NO-O-O-O-O!-!"** The demon began to fade out of existence. At the same time, everybody shielded their eyes, as a bright white light shined out of the hole in the demon's jewel. When they were able to see, they found themselves in an office, much like the one they just came from before being dragged into the strange world.

"We…did it…" Agatha said. "We're back…" Chibi-Eva hopped off of Sabrina, and onto Negi's shoulder, where she proceeded to pinch his cheek.

"I only used this body and sneaked into your coat pocket to find out what Chao Lingshen was planning to create with her future with my own eyes! Now I'm stuck in this body, am not even half as strong as I'm supposed to be, and worst of all, I DIDN'T SEE MYSELF IN THAT FUTURE!-!-! CAN YOU GUESS WHO'S FAULT IS THAT, BOYA?-! HUH-?-!"

"Ow, ow!" the child mage cried. "That hurts!"

"Can we please save it for Mr. Fuji's house?" Alyssia asked. "I really want to get away from here, please."

"We also have two criminals to arrest," Agatha reminded them.

"Don't bother," Sabrina told her. "They're already gone."

* * *

Butch and Cassidy were already racing out of the bottom of the Radio Tower. The fog around them had dissipated, revealing a bright midday sun that shone down on them.

"We could have attacked them," Cassidy said to her partner, "but they're overmatching us!"

"We could have attacked them," Butch said, "but they saved our lives!"

"Doesn't it mean that we owe them something, Butch?"

"My name is Branny! Not Butc…wait a minute…"

"LOOKS LIKE TEAM ROCKET'S LETTIN' THIS ONE SLIDE!"

* * *

When Misty was knocked out of the contest match, there were 3:45 minutes left on the clock. Dawn still had three-quarters of her points, while Roy had lost about half. Piplup looked to be in better shape than Pikachu, but only by slightly. Plus, Roy had the type advantage. A few minutes later, they were still trading blows, but were constantly dodged or blocked, preventing major damage from occurring.

"Pikachu, use Thunderbolt!" The Electric Mouse Pokemon charged up another shot of electricity, and fired it in Piplup's direction.

"Piplup, dodge!" Piplup rolled out of the way of the attack, avoiding any damage.

"Iron Tail!"

"Use Peck to counter!" The two attacks collided, with beak meeting tail. Neither attack could break through, so the two Pokemon jumped backwards in order to prepare for their next attacks.

"Piplup, Bubblebeam!" The bubbles fired at the Electric Mouse Pokemon, and were almost about to reach, when…

"Discharge!" Pikachu unleashed the wild barrage of lightning once again, popping all of the bubbles. Dawn suddenly had an idea.

"Use Whirlpool as a shield!" she ordered. The Penguin Pokemon was able to conjure the attack before he could be hit by the Discharge. Holding the Whirlpool in front of itself, Piplup was able to avoid taking any damage, as the lightning was absorbed into the attack.

"Now Hydro Pump!" Another blast of water was shot at the Electric Mouse Pokemon.

"Jump!" Roy ordered. His Pokemon complied, and leapt out of the way of the attack. It did a somersault in the air and-

"Now's our chance, Piplup! Aim higher!" Piplup angled its head so that it was looking straight at the Pikachu. As it did so, the stream of the Hydro Pump attack changed as well, and struck the Electric Mouse Pokemon just as it came out of the somersault. Unable to defend itself, the Pokemon was forced to take the full blow of the attack, and landed right in front of its trainer.

"Pikachu! Can you stand?-!" Slowly, he was able to get up.

"Ka…Pikachu!"

"Alright!" he said. "Look out, trainer! This match is far from over!"

"Au contraire, Roy!" Jillian interrupted. "Time's up!" The clock had indeed stopped. Dawn was left with about a third of her points left intact. Roy, meanwhile, was almost flat out of gas. A tiny sliver near the top of the bar indicated that he actually had points left. "And the winner is Dawn from Twinleaf Town!" The crowd erupted in cheers for Dawn, who was overjoyed in winning her first contest in Johto.

"Alright!" she cheered. "We won!"

"Pi-piplup!" her Penguin Pokemon exclaimed.

"She did it!" Ash shouted. "Way to go, Dawn!"

"Pi-pikachu!"

"Bun! Bun! Buneary!" The Rabbit Pokemon then embraced Pikachu in a big hug. "Bun-Bun!"

"Pi…ka…Pikachu…" The Electric Mouse Pokemon began to get nervous when Chamo gave the two what amounted to a Perverted Old Man's stare – until Yue grabbed his tail.

"Hey, lemmie go! I'll stop, okay?-!"

"Not bad," Chisame commented. "Not bad…" On the arena floor, the three judges and Jillian walked over to Dawn, each congratulating her on her victory. Mr. Contesta presented her with a case.

"On behalf of the Pokemon Contest Committee," he said to her, "we would like to present to you the Cherrygrove City Pokemon Contest Ribbon!" The ribbon consisted of a pink bow with a red stripe down the center of the bow. In the middle was the gold pin, which was in the shape of a sunflower.

"Thank you so much!" Dawn replied. She took out the ribbon, and held it high above her head, gaining one last round of cheers from the crowd.

* * *

Negi, Asuna, and Setsuna stood on the southern road out of Lavender town. Setsuna and Asuna were now carrying backpacks, while Chibi-Eva was perched on top of Negi's head. Sabrina, Agatha, Alyssia, Mr. Fuji, Gastly, Haunter, and Gengar stood with them.

"Remind me why we have to bring Boy Scout equipment with us?" Chibi-Eva asked.

"Because the nearest town to the south is over a day's walk," Mr. Fuji explained.

"Head south and east until you reach Fuchsia City," Agatha told them. "There, you will meet Janine, the Gym Leader there. She'll be able to help you guys in finding your friends."

"Thank you again for the supplies and equipment, Mr. Fuji!" Negi bowed.

"It's the least I could do for you," he replied.

"I wish I could join you guys," Alyssia pouted. "I've wanted to go on a journey for so long, but ghosts apparently can't leave the place of their deaths."

"Not necessarily," Sabrina countered.

"Eh?"

"Mr. Fuji called me a month ago about your problem. Fortunately, I was able to come up with a solution." She reached into her pocket, and pulled out a small doll, about the same size as Chibi-Eva. It looked very much like Alyssia, though the doll's hair was brown, and she was wearing a blue and black tank top, a red skirt, white and red sneakers, and blue socks that wrinkled their way halfway up her leg.

Chibi-Eva took some interest in the doll. "A straw doll."

"A what?" Asuna asked.

"They're mystical items that can allow a ghost to move outside his or her normal boundaries," she explained. "It's similar to what I'm stuck in right now, and Kasumi's been pestering me lately to find one for Sayo."

"I-I can go on a journey with them?" Alyssia asked.

"Only if you choose to do so," Mr. Fuji told her. "It's your choice."

"Then yes!" She exclaimed." Thank you! But…how does it work?"

"Simply move close enough to the doll," Chibi-Eva said. Alyssia did so, and she disappeared. The straw doll, however, began to move.

"Wah!" Alyssia exclaimed. "This is so cool!" Sabrina gave her to Asuna, who placed her on her shoulder.

"Be sure to take care of yourselves," Agatha said to them.

"Of course!" Asuna called back.

"Thank you for everything!" Setsuna said.

"Be sure to come back when everything's back in order!" Mr. Fuji invited.

"Will do!" Negi promised.

"Goodbye!" Sabrina said.

"So long, witch!" Chibi-Eva said, earning a smack from Asuna. "OW!"

"Can it, Final Boss!"

"Whoever said that I was the Final Boss?-!"

"YOU DID! BACK IN KYOTO!"

"…oh yeah…"

* * *

At the same time as Negi and co. were leaving Lavender Town, so too were Ash, Yue, and co. preparing to do the same in Cherrygrove City.

"Hey! Hold up!" The group turned back to see Jillian running towards them. She had changed out of her attire, and was now wearing a maroon sleeveless sweatshirt over a yellow T-shirt with jeans and black Converse sneakers.

"Jillian!" Dawn exclaimed. That was as far as she got, for Brock suddenly ruched forward, and took Jillian's hand.

"OH, Jillian! You're just as beautiful as your sisters are! I was amazed by your performance as the MC today!"

"You…were?" she said, one part surprised, the other part creeped out.

"Here we go again…" Chisame muttered.

"But wait, Croagunk's not here with Brock!" Dawn realized. Ash smirked.

"Just like old times, right Pikachu?"

"Pi-Pikachu!"

"Say what?" Chamo whispered. "You just used to let him do this before that frog was with him?-!" His question was answered, however, by Misty. The redhead walked up behind him, and dragged him away from Jillian by the ear.

"I thought you grew out of this habit, Brock! I guess Ash isn't the only one who hasn't changed!"

"AHH!" Brock screamed. "OW! NOT THE EAR! OW! AYEE!"

"…that's painful even to watch," Chamo groaned.

"Did someone mention my name?" Ash wondered.

"Ah, nobody at all!" Dawn insisted. "What's the matter, Jillian?"

"Nothing at all!" the MC replied. "I just wanted to talk to Misty about her performance in the second round."

"You do?" Misty asked.

"I think in the battle round, you focused too much on the appeals of the moves used, and not enough on the actual battle. I thought your appeals were fine. As a Gym Leader, you should concentrate more on knocking out the opponents in the match, just like you do in a Pokemon battle."

"T-thanks for the advice," Misty replied.

"Also, there's a contest in a week in Azalea Town, if you're interested."

"Really? That's my next stop, then!" She turned to Dawn. "Do you want to come, Dawn? I know Ash and Yue are headed to Violet City and all…" The coordinator shook her head.

"It's tempting, but the three of us promised to find Yue and Chisame's friends. So I'll wait until the next contest comes around."

"Alright."

"So, I guess this is goodbye for now," Ash said.

"Until next time," Misty replied, and embraced Ash in a big hug.

"Take care of yourself, Misty."

"You too, Ash." Misty turned to Yue and Chisame. "Good luck finding your friends, you guys."

"Good luck on your contest challenge," Yue replied, as Ash collected Brock's senses into one place. They then set off for the next town.

"Goodbye!" Misty called out one last time, then softly, "Goodbye, Ash…my love…"

Yue pulled Chisame aside. The net idol seemed to be annoyed by this. "What is it?"

"You're not thinking of bringing Chiu-Chiu to the contest circuit, are you?" Chamo asked. This caught Chisame off guard.

"W-what?-! Do I look like I want to get a one way ticket into another madhouse?-! I'm already unwillingly dragged into the Magical Adventures of Negi Springfield and Friends, for crying out loud!"

"But you did look like you were into the contestant's actions and moves," Yue noted.

"As if! I'm only doing research on how the people of Johto act so that we don't always have to rely on Ash and company to help us around! Besides, I don't even have a Pokemon!"

"Chisame wants to be a Pokemon Trainer?" Dawn wondered.

"Gah! Since when did you start…?-! Oh, forget it…I'm surrounded by idiots…again…" A sneeze came from some bushes nearby. James stuck his head out.

"The older twerp girl wasn't referring to us, was she?" He was immediately dragged back down by Jessie and Meowth before he could blow their cover.

* * *

_For Your Information…_

_Yes, the Demon is the King of the Dead (or Devil, I forget which) that is seen in episode 26 of the first Negima anime. Since he hasn't really made an appearance in the manga, I repackaged him and spit him right back out as a less gory representation of the infamous Buryman of Pokemon Tower._

_Anyone who read SWA should know who Roy is. Yeah, lamo cameo, I know._

_Originally, Setsuna was supposed to be the one who bails out Negi and Asuna from the Demon. When I realized how hard that would be given the strength that I gave the Demon, I needed another option. Hence, a quick ending – and a new gag reel to exploit._

_The Chibi-Eva idea was based off of an idea for Magister of Zero. In it, Evangeline had stuck a doll into Negi's bag, which allows her to appear in the doll's location for twenty-four hours – with power limitations, of course. Before it could be used, however, the fic turned south, and I deleted in the best interests. At least one idea from that got through to the general public._

_The contest is over, Dawn's got her first ribbon, and Negi and friends are safe from harm – for now. What adventures await for our heroes next time? Will Team Rocket be involved in any part of it? And who will keep Brock in check the next time he sees a pretty girl? One way to find out, and that's-!_

"**You did not just call me a Chibi, did you?"**

_Er…read and review, folks! And check out my other stories! And send help! PLEASE!_

"**Come Back here, you dead author!"**


	9. In Dark Cave there is Light!

_Eh? Only three reviews? Must be my punishment for slacking off recently…_

_Anyway, we now go back into the woods now, as Yue finds herself struggling with a problem that she has no answer to…but I musn't spoil the rest of the story, so here we go!_

* * *

**Chapter IX: In Dark Cave there is Light!**

It had been a few days since our heroes parted ways with Misty back in Cherrygrove City. Since then, they had made significant progress on their trek to Violet City, where Ash would face off in his first Battle Frontier match. Of course, there's no rush, so the gang often stops to rest, especially if Yue wants to capture another Pokemon.

"Squirtle, Tackle attack!" The Tiny Turtle Pokemon charged at the opposing Pokemon, a blue tadpole-like creature that the Pokedex called a Poliwag. The Poliwag jumped out of the way of the initial attack, but a quick step turnaround ensured that its escape was short-lived.

"Good job, Squirtle!" Yue called out. Squirtle turned around and gave a thumbs-up to its trainer.

"Squirtle-Squirt-Squirtle!"

"Amazing!" Dawn commented. She was with the rest of the group on a nearby rock, observing the battle. "Yue's skill has gone up considerably from when she first started training!"

"What else did you expect?" Ash boasted. "My training tips are the best in the business!"

"Pi-Pikapi!"

"Not to discredit you," Dawn groaned, "but Misty and Brock did most of the technical work. All you did was spar with her and give encouragement."

"Yeah," Chamo added. "Give credit where it's due!"

"Aw, c'mon, you guys…"

"I'm not too sure she's doing that well," Chisame cautioned.

"What do you mean?" Dawn asked.

"This is the third battle in two days that Yue's sent Squirtle into battle," she noted. "Shouldn't Squirtle show at least a bit of fatigue by now?" Brock was impressed by her insight.

"I guess I'm not the only one who can see that they don't have an ironclad will yet," he commended.

"I know if I stayed up two nights in a row studying for a test on the third day, then I'd have no energy to do said test."

'You're right there," Brock said.

"But don't you already do that with Chiu-ChiWAPH?-!" Chamo's comment was simply dealt with by the net idol's fist.

"What do you mean by an ironclad will?" Ash asked his longtime friend.

"Pi-Ka?" Brock chuckled.

"I think you actually know the answer better than I do, Ash," he said.

"I do?"

"Think about it: You and Pikachu share a mutual interest in becoming Pokemon masters. Dawn and Piplup have the same drive in becoming top Coordinators. When trainer and Pokemon both strive for the same goal, their willpower increases, and they are able to get up, even after receiving multiple hits, simply because they don't want to see their goal sliding away from them. In Yue's case, her reason for being a trainer is so that she can reunite her friends that much easier. However, Squirtle doesn't have the same bond with people yet, save Professor Oak, to fully comprehend the idea of saving one's friends." Chamo picked up on where Brock was going.

"So what you're saying is that the two are training to be strong for different reasons?" the ermine asked.

"Precisely. Until they both find a set goal to reach for, Squirtle will never be able to last long enough in a battle to come out on top in tougher matches." As if on cue, Squirtle suddenly tripped up, hesitating on an attack. The Poliwag used this newfound chance to smack the Tiny Turtle Pokemon away with its tail. As Squirtle tried to recover, he caught the glare of Poliwag's eyes, which were giving off a bluish glow. In an instant, Squirtle collapsed to the ground.

"Agh!" Yue groaned, and ran out towards her fallen Pokemon. When she reached Squirtle, she found the Pokemon not fainted, but asleep.

"Hypnosis," Brock commented, as the group got up and walked over to Yue and Squirtle. "Squirtle won't wake up for a bit." Yue only stared down at her Pokemon.

"Come on, Yuecchi," Chamo said. "It's probably for the best. You've been challenging anything that we've run into that breathes for the last few days, on top of your lessons on how to use magic. Perhaps a few winks might help Squirty here." Suddenly, a rather loud gurgling noise could be heard close by. The group turned towards the red-faced culprit.

"…Perhaps a few bites to eat might help me?" Ash asked sheepishly. Chisame and Dawn groaned.

"We just ate lunch a few hours ago!" the net idol complained. "And you had thirds! How can someone your size still be hungry?-!"

"Hey," Ash retorted, "watching Yue's battle got me all worked up! I burnt off all of that energy then!"

"Worked up over watching a battle?" Dawn asked incredulously. "That's one of the more ludicrous thing's I've heard you say, Ash Ketchum!"

"Don't put it past him, Dawn," Brock cautioned. "We might as well take a break anyway so that Squirtle can rest up. I have some leftover sandwiches from lunch."

"Sounds good to me!" Ash said. "Let's eat!"

"Pi-Ka-Chu!"

"Hey!" Chisame yelled. "Don't eat them all! I need one too!"

"I thought you weren't hungry," the raven-haired boy asked. The net idol merely groaned.

"Oh, shut up!"

* * *

Unbeknownst to the group, three pairs of eyes were watching them…again…

"Looks like the twerps are taking a post-lunch snack," Jessie commented. The three were watching the group from a bush that was in front of a hole.

James was beginning to drool, and his eyes were in a trance-like state. "Are those turkey sandwiches with mayonnaise?" He was brought out of it by a timely slap. "Ow!"

"How could be thinking of food at a time like this?-!" Jessie demanded. "We are on a mission, after all!"

"But Jessie!" Meowth butted in. "You were da one who ate all of our sandwiches!"

"A girl must have the right amount of food to keep in perfect shape!" the redhead retorted.

"An I wonder, what shape is dat?" Meowth asked, earning a powerful boot to the face.

"Ask that again, and I'm going to make yours flat as a pancake!" Jessie threatened. As she attempted to stomp out what life was left in the Cat Scratch Pokemon, James tried to get the two back on track.

"C-calm down Jessie! Meowth hasn't explained to us the plan yet!"

"Oh yeah!" she realized, and finished torturing Meowth. He wheezed for a few seconds to catch his breath. "I want to know why we are in a hole instead of the twerps?"

"Well ya see, remember dat nest of Beedrill an' Vespiquen we passed by as wees was comin' here?"

"Uh, yeah," the two humans responded.

"Well, if wees distoibe dere nest an' lead them to da twoips, it'll bring em straight ta Dark Cave. Once da twoips get separated from each other, wees swoop in, take Pikachu and Purplette twoip off dere hands, an escape without ever bein' noticed!"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," Jessie dismissed. "We get that. But what about the hole?"

"Dat's simple!" Meowth replied. "When da Beedrill chase after us, we need a good place ta hide! If wees leave a tarp an' some bushes over da opening…"

"Oh, I get it!" James realized. "We anger the Beedrill and step into the shadows, allowing the Beedrill to divide the twerps! All while we sit back and wait for the perfect moment to strike!"

"Dat's right! Tagether we fail, but davided we stand!"

"Speaking of divided," Jessie inquired, "who's going to be the one who draws the Beedrill out of their hive?"

"Hah? We was all goin' ta go an' wake up dem." The redhead shook her head.

"That won't work! What happens if the Beedrill don't chase after them, or if they chase both the twerps and us? We need two of us to stay here in case a problem arises, with the other person drawing out the Beedrill."

"Okay, but who's gonna be da bait?" Meowth asked. Jessie looked intently at the Cat Scratch Pokemon. Slowly, James's gaze followed hers to Meowth as well. "What? Who are you looking at?"

* * *

"A goal other than returning home?" Yue asked. Brock nodded.

"Squirtle has no experience in losing a person that is close to their hearts, nor has had any connections outside Professor Oak's lab before you chose him, and even then, they knew that someone would take Squirtle away. Something like that comes with the journey of years, so maybe if you try out for the Silver Conference or the Pokemon Contests, you might be able to jumpstart that process in much less time." Yue looked to the ground, where Squirtle was resting peacefully. "Plus, while I seriously doubt it, you guys might never be able to return home, so having a fallback option might be a good idea." Chamo was taken aback by this.

"What?-! What do you mean we might not able to go back?-! If we got here, then we can go back!" Chisame hushed him up.

"I hate to say it, Chamo," she said, "but our situation is looking rather bleak. Misty did tell me that Pokemon who could move us between worlds and time are usually Legendary. You can't expect to find a Legendary Pokemon by looking in the local convenience store."

"I agree," Yue said. "If we everwant to get back to Mahora Academy without drawing any more suspicion from the eyes of the staff at Mahoran, then we have less than a year to do so. However, if we take into account the vast expanse of this world combined with the potential dangers everyone might face, it will more likely take much longer than that. We might have to take up occupations in order to sustain a maintainable standard of living for our stay here."

"You kinda lost me halfway through," Ash admitted, "but if you might have to stay in our world for a long time, then I'll be happy to help you train your Pokemon for battles!"

"Pi-Pikachu!"

"Or if you decide to do contests," Dawn added, "Just come to me! Pipulp and I won't have any problems lending out our advice! Right, Piplup?"

"Pi-Piplup!"

"As long as you stay with us," Brock summarized, "you don't have to bother worrying about things like that. We'll help you in any way we can, and I'm sure that we can make the one-year deadline with time to spare." Yue and Chisame were about to reply…

"Does anyone else hear a buzzing sound?" Chamo butted in. Everyone listened.

"Yeah…" Chisame replied. "…It sound like it's coming from a swarm of bees…but not the bees we're used to." The noise began to get louder. Squirtle woke up, and stared into the brush. Brock suddenly broke out in a cold sweat, and quickly gave everyone their bags.

"I'm guessing you have an idea about the source of the noise," Chamo noted, "and it ain't a good one." The buzzing was quickly becoming a roar.

"Yes," the Pokemon breeder replied grimly. "It's coming from a swarm of-!" At that moment, a swarm of humanoid, yellow bee-like creatures flew out of the trees and bushes. Large, silvery stingers were in place of hands.

"BEEDRILL!-!" the Pokemon world inhabitants exclaimed.

"GWAH?-!" Chisame yelped.

"HEAD FOR THEM HILLS!" Chamo ordered. Thus, a mad dash to avoid being impalement began. The Beedrill, who numbered in the dozens, gave quick chase, and the sight where the group had eaten only moments ago was now a lifeless patch of dirt, save for a picnic table and a few leftover sandwich bits. A few moments after the Beedrill were out of sight, one of those sandwich bits was gobbled up by James.

"Myum!" he exclaimed, savoring the flavor of the sandwich.

"I tink I lost a few of my lives after seeing em flash by..." Meowth groaned. James went for another bite of a sandwich crumb, but was stopped by Jessie, who snatched the piece away.

"You can eat all you want later," she said, eating the piece herself. "After we claim our grand prizes."

* * *

"They're gaining on us!" Ash warned. The group was in a full out sprint, but the Beedrill were not relenting, their needle-like stingers appearing right in their rear view mirrors.

"W-what do we do?-!" Dawn pleaded to no one in particular.

"Split up!" Yue suggested. "We might be able to take on some of them at a time!"

"Good idea!" Brock said.

"Pikachu, go with Yue and Chisame!" Ash ordered.

"Pika!" The Electric Mouse Pokemon hopped shoulders, and the split began. Ash, Squirtle, and Piplup went straight. Dawn and Brock hung a left. Yue, Chisame, Chamo, and Pikachu turned right. As expected, the Beedrill divided into three subgroups, and continued the chase.

"A-any bright ideas after this?-!" Chisame inquired. Their group began to head uphill, and the climb was robbing them of speed.

"On three, we make our stand!" the purplette told her. "Pikachu, you use a mix of Thunderbolt and Iron Tail, while I'll command Hoothoot!"

"Chu!" The Beedrill were ten feet away from them now, and closing in.

"One!...Two!…Thr-!"

**!CRUNCH! !CRASH!**

"EHWA-A-A-AH?-!" Before they had a chance to turn around, the earth opened up before their feet. A gaping hole now stood directly in their path, but their momentum and the Beedrill were too much for them to stop in time from plunging into the inky darkness. Surprisingly, the drop wasn't too far, only fifteen-twenty feet.

"U-urgh…" Chamo groaned, spitting out some dirt. The droning of the Beedrill's wings gradually grew softer. "I-is everyone present and accounted for?"

"Here," Yue said.

"Pika-Pika," chimed Pikachu.

"No bruises here-eh?" Chisame noticed that she wasn't being jabbed in the back by various rocks. Instead, she was lying on the back of a person. The net idol quickly got off the guy's back. "Wah! Oh my god! I'm so sorry!"

"Chiu-Chiu, what's up?-!" Chamo asked.

"How about me almost killing somebody with pressure?-!" she replied. "And now's not the time for a weight joke, so don't say one!" For a moment, the guy didn't respond, except for a few twitches here and there. Slowly, however, he was able to push himself off the ground.

"I-It's fine…" he groaned. "I-I wouldn't have thought the roof would have caved in at all…" He dusted off his attire, which consisted of black knickerbockers, a red long-sleeved jacket, a black backpack, and a pair of white and red running shoes. His hair was the same color as Ash's, but it was shorter and neater, save for a long bit that jutted forward in the shape of an upside-down checkmark. "Now where's my hat…"

"Is this it?" Yue pointed. There, on the ground by her, was a black and gold hat. The purplette picked it up, and gave it to the teen.

"Yes, thanks!" He placed the hat on his head, turning the brim backwards.

"We're sorry that we, uh, dropped in," Chisame apologized.

"It's no big deal at all!" the boy said. "What you probably did was put too much weight over some Diglett and Dugtrio tunnels." The two Mahora residents were slightly confused.

"Huh?" Chisame wondered in bewilderment.

"There was a sudden migration of them into Dark Cave a few days ago," he explained. "I was trying to capture one for my team before you guys showed up. By the way, who's the talking Pokemon?" A certain ermine began to sweat profusely.

"W-we don't know what you're talking about," Yue responded. The teen ignored her, and went straight over to Chisame and Chamo.

"If I remember," he said, "there was a gruff male voice from around here, and since it's not you," referring to Chisame, "could it be your Pokemon? I've never seen a Furret this-"

"Get it straight!" Chamo burst out. "I'm an ermine, ya hear?-! ERMINE! E-R-M-" He quickly put his paws over his mouth. "Oh, crap!" An awkward silence filled the cave.

"Would you believe ventriloquism?" Yue suggested.

"It's highly unusual," the boy remarked, "but I've been told that Team Rocket has a talking Meowth, so it's not like this is a first." Somehow, the others knew just who he was talking about. "So tell me, Mr., uh, ermine, what do you go by?"

"A-ah, the name's Albert Chamomile, Chamo for short. And no formalities please." Before he could make any incorrect introductions, Chisame picked the ermine off the ground.

"Chisame Hasewega," the net idol told him. "Yue Ayase is my…classmate with the purple hair."

"A pleasure to meet you," she bowed.

"Pi-Pika-Pika!" Pikachu called from the top of Yue's head.

"Nice to meet you guys too!" the boy replied. "My name's Jimmy from New Bark Town! That's a very well raised Pikachu you have there." The Baka Ranger shook her head.

"It isn't my Pikachu," she said. "It belongs to a friend of mine named Ash." Jimmy did a double take.

"By any chance is his name Ash Ketchum?" he asked.

"Uh, yeah," Chamo answered. "You know the kid?"

"No," he admitted, "but my friend Jackson does. He told me a lot about your battle against him in the Silver Conference a few years ago." Pikachu's interest level jumped.

"Pika-pi? Pika, Pikachu-pika-pikachu-pi-pika-?"

"Woah, woah woah, slow down buddy!" Chamo exclaimed. "I can translate if you don't speak at the speed of Spanish!" he turned to Jimmy. "I think my buddy was saying something along the lines of how's Jackson doing?"

"Actually, he's trying the Jotho League circuit again, along with myself" Jimmy explained. "Are you or Ash competing in that this year?" Chisame shook her head.

"Ash is competing in some Battle Frontier competition, and we're traveling with them for our own reasons. Anyway, shouldn't we try to get back to the surface? Our friends should be starting to worry about where we are."

"Wish I could help you," Jimmy admitted, "But I didn't bring any Pokemon that could fly or scale a wall like that. We're going to have to work our way through the caves." Yue took out the only Pokeball that was on her belt.

"Hoothoot!" She released her Owl Pokemon, who appeared on the ground.

"Hoothoot, find the entrance to the cave, then find Ash, Dawn, and Brock, and lead them there. Do you understand?"

"Hoot-Hoot!" the Owl Pokemon replied, and took off, out of the hole in the earth, and into the bright blue sky.

"Aw, snap!" Jimmy groaned.

"What up?" Chamo wondered.

"My flashlight's under the rubble here," he explained. "It's too dark to see without a light down here without one, or a Pokemon that can use Flash." Indeed, the closest passage to them was impossible to see through after only ten feet away from their location. "It might be best then to wait here until your friends come." Chamo had an idea.

"Maybe not…" The ermine dove into Yue's backpack, rummaging through supplies and necessities until he found what he wanted – a small, crescent-shaped wand.

"When'd that get in there?" Chisame asked in modest surprise. "Wasn't Professor Negi the only one who had the practice wands?"

"'In case of emergency'," Chamo quoted, "'break glass.' I snuck a few in Yuecchi's Pactio cloak just before we got out of Eva's resort. Even though she couldn't do the simplest of spells, it was better if she had them in the event she actually needed them. But now that we've been able ta practice a bit…"

"Er, what are you guys saying?" Jimmy asked. "Pactio? Wands? This talk's flying over my head. That's all children's talk anyway." Chamo waggled a paw in front of the trainer.

"Au contraire, monsieur Jimmy," the ermine replied. "Now Yuecchi, try the one we were practicing last night." Yue inhaled, then flicked the wand forward.

"Practe Bigi Nar, Ardescat!" The purplette waited a few seconds, but nothing happened. "Practe Bigi Nar, Ardescat!-!" This time, a small flame lit in the wax of the crescent.

"Way ta go, Yuecchi!" the rodent cheered.

"Pika-Pikachu!" Yue only gave her trademark smirk. Jimmy was taken aback by this display.

"Woah!" he gasped. "What was that?-! Y-you just – a-and f-fire-?-!" Chisame placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Trust me when I say I feel your pain," she told the trainer. "Magic is above my head as well."

* * *

Team Rocket stood at the entrance to Dark Cave. In addition to the usual three, Yanmega was also out, and was apparently talking to Meowth.

"…Mega. Yanmega, yan-yan-mega-yanmega."

"I see..." Meowth turned to his two comrades. "Yanmega's seen da Purple Twerpette an' Pikachu fall through one ev our holes dug in da mountainside. None ev da twoips are nearby, now's our big chance ta grab them!"

"Quite right, Meowth!" James applauded. He turned to his partner. "Shall we use our brand-new device?"

"Of course, James. Why wouldn't we?" The device in question looked like a blue elephant, about seven feet tall and wide, with a red marking was on its trunk, and glass containers for legs. The control box rested by the mecha's feet. Meowth picked it up, turned it on, and proceeded to walk into the cave.

"C'mon, guys!" the Cat Scratch Pokemon called to his teammates. "We've got a Pikachu an' a big bonus waitin' in there for us!" Team Rocket proceeded to head into the cave. The machine soon roared to life, and began to walk into Dark Cave, each footstep shaking the ground that it stood on. The 'eyes' of the machine turned out to be floodlights, which activated once the machine got into the tunnel.

Had a certain Owl Pokemon not noticed this scene, Team Rocket's advance might not have gone noticed by the general public.

* * *

Ash, Brock, and Dawn met back up at the campsite, along with the Pokemon that accompanied them.

"Did you lose them, Ash?" Brock asked his friend.

"Buizel and Infernape helped drive them off," he replied. "You guys?"

"No problems here," he said.

"Squirtle?" The Tiny Turtle Pokemon began to get in a state of worry. Dawn picked up the reason almost immediately.

"Hang on, where's Yue and Chisame?"

"They must still be out there," Brock surmised. "Maybe leaving them with Pikachu alone wasn't enough…." Ash began to panic.

"Oh no, Pikachu!" he gasped. He then noticed Squirtle, who was about to cry at any moment. The Tiny Turtle Pokemon was looking everywhere for Yue.

"Squir…Squirtle Squir…?" Piplup walked over to console the Tiny Turtle Pokemon.

"Piplup Pi! Piplup Pi-piplup Pi Piplup, Piplup Pi!"

"S…squirtle…?"

"Pi!"

"That's right," Dawn realized. "Squirtle's never been separated from Yue since we left Pallet Town."

"Don't worry," Ash assured the Pokemon. "Yue's in good hands right now. I'm sure Pikachu's helping to lead them back here to us right now." He looked towards the nearby mountains.

'_At least, I hope so…Pikachu…'_

* * *

Meanwhile, in the bowels of Dark Cave, Jimmy, Yue, and Chisame were making steady progress in their advance to a cave exit. While Jimmy and Chamo were having a good time wandering by the light of Yue's 'torch' by discussing the properties of magic, the eyes of a certain net idol were darting back and forth between the path ahead and the empty blackness behind them.

'_This just the place for another one of those tentacle-Tangela to show their ugly vines,' _Chisame thought. _Just like last time, when they came out of the bushes, they'll show up from behind the next rock…fate's not gonna kick the one and only Chiu-Chiu when she's down, though, right? Right?-!'_

"Chisame, we won't encounter a Tangela in Dark Cave."

'_!-! C-calm down, Chisame. Just because Yue's lived in a library for practly half her school life doesn't mean that she can read minds.' _"W-what makes you say that?" Yue held up three fingers.

"One, your cautionary behavior for the past ten minutes is a sign you believe that someone or something is following us. Rest assured, in a place as noiseless and echo-friendly as a cave, we will hear something approaching long before it is seen. Second, Tangela and Tangrowth species are Grass-Type Pokemon, and cannot efficiently survive in a cave-like environment. Grass Pokemon are like trees and flowers, and need a steady supply of sunlight in order to produce chlorophyll that…" By this point, Chisame was doing her best to remain composed.

'_Mind reading is definitely not limited to mages!'_ Jimmy seemed to be interested in a certain focal point of the current discussion.

"Hang on, why does Chisame think that a bunch of Tangela would come to attack her?" he asked. Chamo's eyes glinted.

"There's a funny story behind that, actually," the ermine said. "Would you care to hear it?" Pikachu punched Chamo in the side.

"Pi Pika!" the Electric Mouse Pokemon scolded. "Pi, Pikachu-Pika, Pikachu!"

"Unless you two want to be fed to the lions first, than no!" Chisame warned. She then caught sight of Yue's face. Contrary to what one might expect of a person of Chisame's nature, she has actually done a great deal of understanding the moods and personalities of her classmates – to watch out for potential dangers to the exposure of her alter-ego in a class of idiots, of course. Even the near-poker faced Yue Ayase gave little resistance to Chisame's deciphering methods. At the moment, the purplette's face was giving off the same aura as it did when she first arrived in Mahora Class 1-A two years ago.

"…have checked the range of the Tangela's migration, and they do not-"

"Yue, is what Brock mentioned before bothering you?" she asked. Yue froze, hiding the sense of surprise that pervaded her body. "You look the same as when your grandfather passed away."

"…was it that hard to figure out?" the Baka Ranger relented.

"Not too much," the net idol replied. "You have been in class with me for two years, after all." Jimmy was confused.

"Am I left out of the loop a little here?" he said to Chamo, who simply nodded.

"Our classmates are missing," Yue continued. "Our teacher is missing. I took the mantle of a Pokemon Trainer in order to reassemble our friends, return home, and protect a future where mages and humans are kept separate. Yet being told just that isn't enough…what else is there that is needed to save Nodoka, Haruna, Professor Negi, and everyone else?-! Is being a full-time League participant the only thing to bring out a Pokemon's full potential?-!" There was a prolonged silence, as nobody really knew the answer. A minute tear fell down her cheek, and splashed onto the ground.

Finally, as Jimmy began to understand the puzzle that Yue was in, a voice spoke up. "Battling in the Pokemon League's help that out a lot, but not nearly as much as people would think."

"What do you mean?" The purplette asked.

"What I mean that experience is the best thing to bring out a Pokemon's best, but battling alone won't help that. Earlier, when I tried to scan Chamo with a Pokedex, I noticed the two Pokeballs on your belt. I scanned them, and one appears to be empty. You're missing a Pokemon, aren't you?"

"That's right!" Chamo realized. "Squirtle ran off in another direction when we tried to scramble and confuse the Beedrill!"

"Squirtle's probably worried sick about you right now," Jimmy continued. "I'm certain you'll reunite with Squirtle, Yue, and because of this separation, Squirtle will know what it is like to lose someone that is close to the heart."

"Hold on," Chisame interrupted. "Are you certain that abstract bonds such as love and care will work in a relationship like that?"

"Yes," Jimmy replied. "Because I'm a first-hand representative of such feelings." The people in the cave were surprised s Jimmy's mood turned melancholic.

"You…do?" Chamo asked.

"How?" Yue implored.

"It was when I started out on my journey. Back then me and my starting Pokemon weren't aiming for the Pokemon. We had both decided to just travel the world together, befriending all the people and Pokemon we could meet. It was a goal of ideals that we thought we could reach…until we met him."

"Pika?"

"Who?" Chisame inquired.

"He goes by Silver. I'm sure that's not his real name, but that's as much as I know. Long red hair, a look that would make Gengar shudder in fear, and absolutely the worst attitude I've ever seen. I met him in Cherrygrove City, and immediately challenged me to a battle. His power level was unbelievable; I couldn't launch a single attack at his Nidoking. But what was worse was what he said to me: 'The world is only based on the survival of the strongest. Weaklings such as yourself should stay out of this world and do more mundane work.'"

"…" There was not so much as a peep from the captive audience. Jimmy started to walk, and the others followed.

"We dedicated ourselves to training, so that we can be able to beat Silver the next time we meet him. We went through the Pokemon League, got stronger, and placed in the top four. We even beat Silver in the quarter-final rounds. But after it was all said and done, our power wasn't just from our training. We wanted to beat Silver, no matter what the cost, and we did." Suddenly, a faint light shone ahead in the passageway.

"Look!" Chamo exclaimed, awakened from the trance. "The exit!"

"Pi-ka Pikachu!" Yue extinguished her wand, and Jimmy took out his Pokegear.

"So soon?" he murmured, as Pikachu and Chamo began to lead the way towards the exit. Suddenly, he paled. "Wait! We're still nowhere near-!"

**!WHIR-R-R-R-R! **A sudden gust of wind came from behind…no, was sucking them in from in front! The three humans braced themselves from the gust, but Pikachu and Chamo were too light, and were sucked forward, into a…trunk?

"Pi-ka!"

"Help!"

"Wah! Pikachu/Chamo!" Jimmy and Yue cried. A familiar evil laugh echoed in front of them.

"In the darkness night, prepare for trouble!"

"In the brightest light, you make it double!"

"An evil as old at the galaxy!"

"Sent here to fulfill our destiny!"

"With Meowth, dat's me!"

"To protect the world from devastation!"

"To unite all people within our nation!"

"To denounce the evils of truth and love!"

"To extend our reach to the stars above!"

"Jessie!"

"James!"

"And Meowth, now dat's a name!"

"We're Team Rocket, blasting you off at the speed of light!"

"Surrender now, or prepare to fight, fight, fight!"

"Meowth! Dat's right!"

"Wob-bu-fet!"

"Yanmega!"

"Carni-VINE!"

"AYEE!-!" James screamed as Carnivine latched on to his head. "You don't ruin the motto like that!"

"Team Rocket!" Jimmy, Yue, and Chisame exclaimed.

"At least you two twerps know about us this time…" Jessie applauded. "So, what do you think of the Phanpy Vacuum Sucker Mark I?" Chisame cocked her head in confusion.

"Er…the what?"

"Dis little mecha right here!" Meowth pointed to the machine that sucked up Pikachu and Chamo. The Electric Mouse Pokemon was held in the front right leg, while the ermine was captured in the back right leg. Pikachu tried a Thunderbolt attack, but the electricity dissipated through the metal.

"You're a few years too far in the past to think we'd be bothered by something as dangerous as electricity!" Jessie sniggered.

"Meowth, let's get the other part of the Boss's prize, shall we?" James told the Cat Scratch Pokemon.

"Roger!" he replied, and pressed a button on the control box. The 'trunk' suddenly began to inhale a vast amount of air, much stronger than before. Jimmy was able to hold himself steady with a rock, but Yue and then Chisame were lifted off the ground, and one by one were sucked into the mecha.

"Eh…we don't need extra baggage takin' up space!" Meowth pressed a different button, and Chisame was spat out onto the ground. Yue appeared in the front left leg container.

"Hey!" she yelled. "Let us out!" Chisame was about to run to their aid, but then remembered Carnivine and Yanmega.

Now if you'll excuse us," Jessie said to the redhead, "we'll let you weaklings go without taking your Pokemon. After all, we're only-"

"**Weak?"** Jimmy glared. "You really do believe we're weak?"

"Of course!" James said. "In the eyes of Team Rocket, you do not factor into our plans." Jimmy reached for his belt.

"Really," he replied. "Because I believe that kidnapping innocent children and Pokemon is a sign of weakness! Go, Typhlosion!-!"

What emerged from the Pokeball looked like an oversized Chamo with a yellow underbelly, a dark bluish top fur, and no tail. It stood at around Jimmy's height, and gave off the same aura as Jimmy – really, really, furiously pissed.

"Ra-KA-A-A!-!" A crown of flames surrounded the top of the Pokemon's neck like a mane. Yue immediately took out her Pokedex.

*TYPHLOSION, THE VOLCANO POKEMON. TYPLOSION IS THE EVOLVED FORM OF QUILAVA. TYPHLOSION OBSCURES ITSELF BEHIND A SHIMMERING HEAT HAZE THAT IT CREATES USING ITS INTENSELY HOT FLAMES. THIS POKEMON CREATES BLAZING EXPLOSIVE BLASTS THAT BURN EVERYTHING TO CINDERS.*

"Uh-oh…" Meowth nervously muttered, as Seviper and Carnivine got ready to attack. "I tink we accidentally pushed da wrong button, an' one I don't have ta boot!"

"You think I'm weak?-!" Jimmy called out to Team Rocket. "Try saying that after I foil whatever plans you intend to do that involves my friends! Typhlosion, Flame Wheel!"

"Seviper, Poison Tail!" Typhlosion became coated in flames, and charged at Team Rocket. Seviper's tail gave off a purple glow, and was swung to intercept the attack. The timing was spot-on, as neither Pokemon gained a clear advantage in the head-to-head matchup. James, meanwhile, tried to change that.

"Carnivine, Bullet Seed!" The Bug Catcher Pokemon moved in to try and wither away Typhlosion's health, but Jimmy quickly caught onto a way out.

"Use Seviper's tail as a whip!" The unorthodox command involved Typhlosion backing off slightly, before grabbing ahold of the Fang Snake Pokemon's tail. The Volcano Pokemon then cocked its arm back, before snapping Seviper like a whip. The grip was intentionally weak, so Seviper quickly flew into Carnivine, knocking the two Pokemon down.

Jimmy then turned his attention to Meowth – and the control box. "Destroy the controls with Flamethrower!"

"K-A-A-A!" A torrent of flames shot out of Typhlosion's mouth, engulfing the Cat Scratch Pokemon in flames.

"O-O-O-O-OH?-!" Meowth screamed, as he was burnt to a crisp. The attack subsided, and it was clear that he would not be controlling the mecha anymore.

"Alright!" Jimmy exclaimed. "We rock, and we…rule?" The mecha suddenly began to do a U-turn in the tunnel. Jessie and James recalled their Pokemon, and joined Meowth and Wobbufet in hanging onto latches on the side of the machine.

"Oops," the singed Cat Scratch Pokemon said. "Forgot ta tell ya twoips that if da control box is busted, da Phanpy Vacuum Sucker Mark I is programmed ta return ta a set location!"

"And this baby's set for Team Rocket Headquarters!" James declared.

"We'd love to stay and chat," Jessie taunted, "but a huge meeting with the Boss awaits!"

"Wo-bu-fet!"

"WAHAHAHAHA!-!" The Phanpy mecha took off back the way it came, taking Team Rocket and their unwilling prizes with them.

"Get back here!" Jimmy yelled, and took off after them. Typhlosion and Chisame followed suit. After five minutes, it seemed like the three would lose site of the mecha, when they saw natural light ahead of them.

"The exit!" Chisame exclaimed.

"They're going to get away!" Jimmy realized. The mecha got outside…

**!SMASH!**

**!RI~I~I~P!**

**!KA-BOOM!** Without warning, the mecha exploded. Team Rocket was sent flying in a state of utter confusion.

"H-hey…!" James groaned. "D-did anyone get the number of that bus…?"

"Wo…bu…"

"No fair! No fair!" Jessie cried. "We almost had them this time!" Meowth only sighed.

"Dere goes another paycheck down da proverbial tubes…" he lamented.

"LOOKS LIKE TEAM ROCKET'S BLASTING OFF AGAIN!-!-!"

"WO-O-OBU-UFE-E-E-ET!" Back on the ground, the smoke was finally beginning to clear up.

"Yue!" Jimmy called out. "Pikachu!"

"Perverted ermine, you better not have died by anyone else's hands besides mine or Asuna's!" Chisame called.

"**Relax, they're all fine."** The smoke cleared to reveal the culprits of the explosion in being a Torterra, a Steelix, and a Mamoswine – respectively owned by Ash, Brock, and Dawn.

"Guys!" Chisame exclaimed. Brock nodded at her. Ash and Pikachu were having a reunion next to the Pokemon Breeder, and right next to that were Yue, Squirtle, and Hoothoot. The Tiny Turtle Pokemon was bawling in relief for the purplette, while Hoothoot was fluttering just overhead.

"Looks like you found your friends," Jimmy told the net idol.

"And looks like you were right about Squirtle," she replied.

* * *

We now shift to Violet City, where we find two young teens, a boy and a girl, seated inside the Pokemon Center's cafeteria eating an early dinner.

"It's nice to be back in Violet City after so long," the girl said. She had short chestnut brown hair tied into two ponytails that stuck out on opposite sides, and wore a red shirt with bid-length sleeves and a white raised collar under blue overall shorts. She wore a white hat with a red ribbon on the left side. She took a sib of her drink.

"Right," the boy noted, "you were here before the Johto Festival and received the Zephyr Badge." He had a thing for green: he had dark curly green hair and a green vest over a yellowish-green collared shirt with jeans. His black eyes cautiously peered behind his round glasses as he finished eating a salad. The girl nodded.

"And your dad never took you here ever, am I right, Khoury?"

"Correct," he nodded. The girl finished her drink, and suddenly grabbed Khoury by the arm, and led him outside. "W-wah?-!"

"Then I've just gotta show you all the sights around town here! There's the Sprout Tower up by the north of town, and the Pokemon Trainer's school just to the south, and after that, we can go to the Ruins of Alph! I even heard from a friend that…!"

"L-Lyra!" Khoury panicked. "Slow down! Weren't we supposed to call Jimmy around now?" The girl stopped.

"Oh yeah!" she remembered, taking out a pink Pokegear. "I'm sure that he has at least a ton of Diglett and Dugtrio by now."

"I-I think you're giving him much more credit than he can handle," Khoury stated. "Remember when we bumped into him in Goldenrod?"

"You'd think I'd forget something like that?" the brunette giggled, as she dialed a number into the Pokegear.

***Ring-Ring! Ring-Rin~Click!***

"_Hello?" _Jimmy's voice came from over the speakers.

"Hey, Jimmy!" Lyra greeted. "How are things in Dark Cave?"

"_Hi, Lyra! I almost caught a Diglett, but then things kinda became a bit-"_

"_Pika? Pi-Pika! Pikachu Pika Chu?"_

"Eh? You found a Pikachu in Dark Cave?"

"_Hey, Lyra!" _a new voice spoke. _"How's it going?" _The two teens knew this voice.

"Ash?-!" Lyra gasped. "I can't believe it! How are you guys?"

"What are you guys doing in the Jotho region?" Khoury asked.

"_We have some rather interesting matters that need to be taken care of, Khoury," _Brock cut in.

"So I'm guessing that if you're here," Lyra deducted, "then Dane's with you guys as well."

"_That's right! We're all at the – hey!"_

"_Hey, don't forget the new faces here as well!" _Chamo interjected. _"Hey, that sounds like a great babe's on the other-!"_

"_Chamo?-!" _Chisame yelled. _"You're not allowed in this conversation!" _Some background noise was heard, before Jimmy took the line back.

"_Sorry about that," _he apologized. _"As I said, there are many…colorful…creatures…out here? [Chisame: I swear, if you try to rope that girl into your harem plans for Professor Negi, I'll personally ensure that you won't have the ability to be a Perverted Ermine ever again!-!]…I'm heading back to New Bark Town for now. Ash and company's going to be in Violet City in a few hours. [Chamo:…G…got…cha…]"_

"Ah, alright," Lyra replied. "Ash, Dane, Brock, we'll meet you guys at the Pokemon Center, okay?"

"_Sure thing!" _Brock replied.

"_We'll see you guys in a bit then!" _Ash said.

"_See you soon!" _Dawn called out.

"_Pika-Pika-chu!"_

"_Piplup Pi!"_

"_See you around, Lyra!" _Jimmy said.

"Bye!" the two teens both replied.

***Click! Boop-boop-boop…***

"Looks like I'm not the only person that you'll be showing around the city, eh, Lyra?" Lyra wasn't paying attention. She melancholically stared out into the sky, facing the general direction of Dark Cave. "Lyra?"

'_Ash,'_ she mused. _'It was you who was able to let me see the feelings I have for Khoury…but…at the same time…I can't push you out of my heart yet. My cage is still open for you, young raven.'_

* * *

_For Your Information…_

_There is going to be a lot of offscreen magic training that Yue's doing._

_A bit of a recycled Chamo line in Dark Cave from Magister of Zero._

_Next chapter is the start of the long-awaited Violet City Arc! But with our familiar match-maker from Johto being struck by cupid herself, how will that play into the events? What path will Yue take on her journey as a Pokemon trainer? And how will Ash fare in his first match of the Battle Frontier? All that and more next time, so please R&R! And be sure to support my other works as well!_


	10. The Iron Tail of Knowledge

From Argorok: Please update this story ASAP. Please update soon I love this story.

From KKid: Your wish is my command. With this, the 2012 writing campaign for Ketchum Kid is now open!

_Life is really picking a bone with me. After starting swimming, I hoped to get at least one chapter of DfE out by Christmas, but it turned out I only got two chapters of ANY of my works out at all! Well, now in 2012, I announce, on the 1st anniversary of Deliverance from Evil, that Ketchum Kid's 2012 writing campaign is open! And what better way than with the tenth chapter of DfE? We now start the Violet City Arc, where we'll find love, loss, and a whole lotta Pokemon battles and plot twists! I won't spoil more, so enjoy the chapter!_

**Chapter X: The Iron-**

_Wait! One more review!_

From Nascardrivers2: Great chapters so far. Lyra and Khoury should jon the still has deelings for Ash you should add pokesilvershipping to the story also. And what about Gary and his him to the group too.

From KKid: I just think Brock's wallet passed out seeing this. :P The problem is that there would be too many travelling caharacter in the same group. Remember, we need to pick up Konoka, Ku Fei, Nodoka, and Kaede, plus reunite with Haruna, Asuna, and Negi. We'll see those three (and many more of the Johto characters) recurring from time to time, but a long-distance group joining won't be happening. At least not until near the end.

_Now that that's done...cue the intro music!_

...

...wait, this is a book...nevermind, just look below.

* * *

**Chapter X: The Iron Tail of Knowledge**

"'Welcome to Violet City, the city of nostalgic scents.' Funny – the only nostalgic feelings I'm getting is watching everyone run to school in the morning." With Chisame's comment finished, our heroes set foot into the crowded cityscape that Violet City, the sight of Ash's first Frontier Battle, where they found that walking through the streets in this city was a lot different from doing the same in Pewter or Pallet. Men and women hurried down the sidewalks, clad in suits of dark hues and with briefcases in hand. Cars and the occasional taxi plied the streets, looking for the closest parking spot.

"'Running of the bulls'?" Brock repeated. "What's that?"

"Every morning, all the students at Mahora that wake up late run down the main street towards the classrooms. It's a large mob of people, vehicle salespeople, people, and more people." The net idol let out an inaudible huff. "It's a good thing that I usually stay away from that crazy stuff."

"Aw, c'mon, Chiu-Chiu," Chamo teased. "I've seen you join in Mahora's daily running of the bulls at least once." The net idol groaned.

"I seriously hope you're not saying that as a weight joke." The Pokemon Center in town wasn't too far away from the city gate – in fact, by the time Chisame returned the ermine's remark, they were already on th eCenter's street block. Ash and Dawn could see two familiar figures standing outside the Center's entrance waiting for them.

"Hey Lyra! Khoury!" Ash called out.

"Over here!" Dawn added. Lyra and Khoury looked in their direction and, once they realized that Ash, Dawn, and Brock were in that general area, waived at them, before running over to greet them. Lyra went over to Dawn first, embracing her in a gleeful hug, while Khoury high-fived both Ash and Brock.

"Ash! Dane! Brock! It's so great to see you guys!"

"How've you been Brock, Ash, Dawn?"

"We've been doing great, thanks!" Brock replied. Lyra broke her hug with Dawn, then went over to Ash and gave him a hug as well.

"It's been too long, Ash!"

"Nice to see you too!" Ash replied, returning the hug for a second…before realizing that Lyra hadn't let go in some time. "Uh, Lyra?"

"Oh, don't mind me!" the overalls-wearing girl stated, breaking the hug after about five seconds. "But it's just that I haven't seen you guys in such a long time. Especially you, Ash."

"M-Me?"

"Woah, there! Hold it!" Chamo walked over to the two, utterly destroying the mood of the scene. "This ain't no love story of Casablanca. We're here on official business with the so-called Frontier Brain that resides in this here city."

"Okay, ah, who are you again?" Chamo pulled out a cigarette.

"Just call me Chamo, baby. The one and only ermine you will ever see in the Pokemon world with your own eyes!" Both Lyra and Khoury were amazed.

"Wow, Ash!" the blue-hair boy exclaimed. "I always expected you would be one to catch an unknown Pokemon, but I never would have imagined that it would be one that talks!" Chamo awkwardly dropped his cigarette.

"Pokemon?-!" he huffed. "Do I look like a freakin' Pikachu to you?-! I'm an ermine! An animal species called the erm-IWAH?-!" Yue stepped on Chamo's head, immediately silencing him.

"Rest assured, Chamo is not owned by anyone. Though he does need a really long leash..." [Chamo: Y-Yue…g-get off me…]

* * *

One long set of introductions and explanations in the Pokemon Center's cafeteria that this author is skipping because we've heard their story already later…

"So you are looking for a way back into your world while finding your scattered friends," Lyra summarized.

"And you think that the best way of doing that would be to travel with Ash on his journey for the Battle Frontier?" Khoury added. Both Yue and Chisame nodded.

"That's right," the bibliomaniac explained calmly. "We already know that one of our friends is in your Sinnoh region, as we were as well, so it's safe to assume that the rest of them could be scattered around the local regions as well. It may take forever to do so, but if we can persevere through, we'll be able to gather everyone back together and find a way back home."

"The time matter does depend on how much our friends use their magical capabilities, though," the net idol added. "And we still need to figure out how to return to our own time and dimension."

"In that case," Khoury advised, "you might want to research on the Pokemon Celebi."

"Celebi?" Chamo asked. "Who's that?"

"Celebi's a time-travelling Pokemon," Ash explained, as Yue pulled out her Pokedex.

*CELEBI, THE TIME TRAVEL POKEMON. CELEBI WANDERS ACROSS TIME AS GUARDIAN OF THE FOREST. WHEREVER IT APPEARS, TREES AND GRASS FLOURISH.*

"It may not help in trying to find your way back to your home world," Khoury continued, "but Celebi may help in returning to your correct time. There's a shrine dedicated to Celebi outside of Azalea Town, in the Ilex Forest." Yue stared at the image presented by the Pokedex. Celebi was a small green fairy-like Pokemon. From her memory, she recalled that the group was attacked by two colossal, four-legged titans.

"Maybe…" she said doubtfully. "It's worth a look, though." Ash decided to change the subject.

"Anyway, Lyra, how are you coming along for the Pokemon League? Did you go to Goldenrod and Ecruteak like Brock suggested?" Lyra nodded.

"I went to Goldenrod City first, and we were on our way to Ecruteak when we found out you guys were in the area. Take a look at my badge case!" The pigtailed brunette took out a shiny pink case, which was not much bigger than a portable gaming system. The case flipped open, revealing three pins. One was silver and looked like a pair of wings. Another looked like a ladybug. The third was a simple yellow diamond with a silver border. Five empty spots in the case were plain to the eye.

"Cool!" Dawn remarked. "You already have three badges!"

"Badges?" Chisame wondered.

"What are they, and why don't we got any of them?" Chamo asked.

"Badges are proof that a trainer has defeated a Pokemon Gym," Khoury stated. "To enter the Pokemon League, you need the eight badges of that region's Pokemon gyms."

"The badge on the left is the Zepher Badge from Violet City," Ash noted. Yue looked at the badges, their glossy finish making them glisten in the evening sun's rays. She remembered what Brock and Jimmy had said about Pokemon.

"_Squirtle has no experience in losing a person that is close to their hearts, nor has had any connections outside Professor Oak's lab before you chose him, and even then, they knew that someone would take Squirtle away. Something like that comes with the journey of years, so maybe if you try out for the Silver Conference or the Pokemon Contests, you might be able to jumpstart that process in much less time."_

"_Experience is the best thing to bring out a Pokemon's best,_ _but battling alone won't help that."_

"Speaking of Brock," Khoury said, "where is he?"

"Where else?" Ash groaned, turning his head backwards. From the table, everyone saw Brock doting over the Pokemon Center's Nurse Joy.

"Not again!" Lyra complained.

"I knew that Brock was a player, but he could've at least found a girlfriend by now, right?" Khoury asked. Dawn sighed.

"Don't expect anyone to pull him away from her. With Croagunk back in Pewter City, there's nobody that will stop him now."

"Kinda reminds me of Ane-san and Class Rep's fights a bit," Chamo remarked to Yue.

"Uh, Chamo? Yue's over there." Chisame was pointing over towards Brock.

"…and so, I ask you but one small request, Nurse Joy. Please mend my broken heart, for you are the only one who has the knowledge to repair-"

**!YANK!**

"Enough, Brock." Yue monotoned. "A counselor probably is better suited for your needs." She then dragged him away, in the general direction of the restrooms.

"Y-Yue? OW! Not you too?-! OW! OW! MY EAR! OW!" The others were dumbfounded.

"Whoever expected that to happen from her," Chamo stated, "by all means, raise your hand now." Nobody did.

* * *

The rooms that night were separated into a boy's room (Ash, Brock, Khoury, Chamo, and Pikachu) and a girl's room (Dawn, Lyra, Yue, and Chisame). In the latter, the bedding arrangements were divided by the two bunk beds; Pokemon world inhabitants on the right, Mahora Academy students on the left. There had been the usual girl talk before bed, but it wasn't too long before everyone was fast asleep. Everyone, that is, except Yue.

The purplette was still thinking over the choices that lay before her. One was to enter the league in Jotho, gather the eight badges, and ultimately get Squirtle, Hoothoot, and any other companions she may catch in the future stronger. On the other hand, she could simply ignore that, and focus solely on find Professor Negi and the others.

'_Negi.'_ Her mind wandered off to her redheaded young teacher. He was the chief reason for them being caught in the future with the Cassiopeia, and exposing themselves to the two gigantic titans that that Mew creature had described as Dialga and Palkia. Slowly, an image of Negi formed in her head. The unmistakable child with a business suit and a staff, his messy, dirty red hair, the small spectacles on his nose, and his assuring, youthful, sage-like smile. A smile that reminded her so much of Ash, for some reason.

A sneeze was heard from the other room.

* * *

The bright rays of the next morning's dawn graced the groggy eyes of Ash Ketchum. On the top bunk of the left bed, he gave a small yawn, before climbing down the ladder bunk. Brock and Khoury were still asleep, but the ears of the ever-alert Pikachu twitched twice, as the Electric Mouse Pokemon quickly awoke from its light slumber.

"Pikapi…Pikapi-Pi Pika, Pikachu?" Ash took out a change of clothes from his backpack.

"Gotta get up bright and early, Pikachu," he whispered. "I want to make sure that everything's ready for our battle against the Frontier Brain today!" Brock was just waking up at this time.

"So have you decided who you are going to use?" he asked. "We don't know who this Frontier Brain is or what type of Pokemon he or she uses, so you'll have to be careful on who you choose." Ash nodded.

"Don't worry, Brock. I've already decided on my lineup. After I shower, I just need to make a phone call." Brock understood what Ash was saying. The breeder went to get his clothes from his bag as well.

"So you're going to call on some of your Pokemon from our past journeys then?" the breeder deduced.

"Exactly. I love the Pokemon that I have dearly, but this is the Battle Frontier; if you're saddled with a team that shares a common weakness, they will exploit it. What's needed for this battle is type diversity, so that we're not disadvantaged by types." Brock was impressed by Ash's foresight.

"You know, you're starting to sound like me now, Ash."

"Well, we have been traveling together for years now. It's only fair that we subconsciously exchange ideas between each other, right?" Ash looked around. "Hey, where's Chamo?"

"Pi…Pika-Pi…"

"Maybe he woke up ahead of us," Brock suggested. "He could have-" He was interrupted by screaming from the room next to them.

"Hey! My panties are gone!" Lyra exclaimed.

"Mine too!" Dawn yelped. They could hear a groan from Chisame.

"Not here too!" A red-faced Ash and Brock exchanged looks, before the former tried to head out to the showers – and promptly got bowled over by Chisame and Yue, who burst into the room, with Dawn and Lyra. Khoury, who was abruptly awoken by this sudden commotion, was very surprised to see the girl population of the group in nothing but pajamas

"L-Lyra! W-what are all of you doing in here?-!"

"Beats me," Lyra shrugged. "Chisame and Yue seem to know something, though." Chisame rifled through all of the drawers in the room, opening and closing all of them, but did not seem to find what she was looking for. Finally, she held her head in frustration.

"ARRGH!-!" she screamed. "Where is that stupid perverted ermine?-!" Ash and Brock, meanwhile, were feeling rather cramped. A Pokemon Center room could easily fit four human bodies, but not seven.

"Uh, we're going to hit the showers now," Ash told the others.

"Gotta get ready for the big battle and all," Brock added. As they left, Yue caught a brief glance at Brock's bag, which was partially unzipped. Inside, she saw what looked to be a big wad of white, part of which was furry.

"Chisame! He's in Brock's bag!" The Pokemon breeder froze. He immediately rifled through his bag to confirm what the purplette had uncovered. Wrapped in his jeans was a half-asleep Chamo…who was clinging to a white panty with the image of a Piplup on the front.

"N-ngh, what is it, aniki…" he moaned. "Is it time for Master's lesson already…?" Brock went as red as Pokeball, just as Chisame stuck her head out of the room. From her point of view, it appeared that the ermine wasn't the only one enjoying their underwear.

"What the-?-! Brock?-! You're with this with Chamo?-!" Brock was too flustered to plead his innocence.

"W-Wait!" he stammered. "T-there's a valid explanation behind t-this...!"

"Don't weasel your way out of this one, perverted breeder!"

"GEH?-! P-Perverted breeder?-!" Chamo finally woke up to his senses, which all pointed to danger.

"Crap!" he yelled. "Run for it!" Brock did just that.

"Come back here, you perverts!" Chisame screamed, and set off after them. The others poked their heads out into the hallway, as did a few other people in the hallway.

"I never thought I'd see the day where Brock would actually run away from a girl," Ash remarked. His friends had to reluctantly agree.

* * *

While this was going on, a man wearing a familiar blue and white Hawaiian shirt strolled into the first floor lobby of the Pokemon Center. The Nurse Joy behind the desk immediately recognized the man.

"Welcome back, Scott!" she greeted as he arrived at the reception desk. "Are you here to conduct another dry run of the Battle Factory?" The head of the Battle Frontier shook his head, smiling as he did so.

"Not this time, Nurse Joy. We're having an actual match today for once. Ash just arrived here last night, so today's a good day to tell him where the facility is."

"**So Ash Ketchum's the inaugural Frontier Brain challenger? Now there's a name I haven't seen in Jotho for a long time." **A young blue-haired individual strolled up to the reception desk. He wore a blue and white short-sleeved jacket over a blue karate uniform, with white knee-high socks, black single-strap sandals, and black and red lined armbands. A Hoothoot rested on his right shoulder.

"Well, well, well!" Scott remarked. "If it isn't the Elegant Master of Flying Pokemon himself! How's life treating you, Falkner?" Falkner sighed.

"Couldn't be better, aside from a rough battle I had the other day. The trainer had the nerve to tell me that my belief in the superiority of the Flying-Type Pokemon is wrong! It didn't help that he used an Electivire and Weavile either."

"Hoot…" his Hoothoot agreed. Scott chuckled.

"Well, that's just how kids run these days. I'm surprised you're letting this bother you so much. What would your old man have to say about that if he decided to drop by?" Falkner immediately perked up.

"You're right. A simple Electric-Type Pokemon is nothing to a trainer like myself. There is absolutely nothing in the world that can clip the wings of a Flying Pokemon!"

"**Get back here, idiots!"** Falkner only had a split second to turn his head to look at Brock, who, being more focused on his pursuer, was not looking where he was running.

**!THUNK!**

**!CRASH!**

An awkward pile of limbs and body mass littered the floor in front of Scott and Nurse Joy, who both gasped at the collision in front of them. Poor Falkner was now at the bottom of a dogpile that continued with Brock, Brock's bag, Chamo, and Chisame, all of which were now dazed and confused. The Piplup panty that had caused all of this in the first place flew whimsically onto Scott's shirt. The Battle Frontier owner took a moment to analyze it, before hastily discarding the item once he realized what it was.

"...though we may be crushed by…sheer weight…" Falkner weakly responded.

"…watch it…" Chisame mumbled, believing that Falkner was referring to her. "…I'm not in that category yet…"

"Scott!" Ash, fresh in his traveling clothes alongside the others, hurried down the stairs, meeting up with Scott and his now half-limp companions. Khoury and Dawn helped pull apart the mess on the floor.

"You guys certainly know how to make a robust entrance, Ash," Scott remarked. Dawn pouted.

"Blame the breeder and the ermine," she accused, snatching the Piplup panty that was on Chamo's tail. Ash couldn't help but snicker, earning a slap from the coordinator. "Something here you find funny, Mr. Ketchum?"

"U-Uh, nothing," the Pokemon trainer quietly replied. He then saw Falkner at the bottom of the pile. "Falkner!"

"Huh? Ash!" The Gym Leader stood up, brushing the dirt off of his outfit, before extending a hand to shake. "It's been a long while since you participated in the Silver Conference a few years ago."

"Sure has, Falkner. Met a lot of new friends and a ton of new challenges."

"Including getting your three out-of-world friends back home?" The air was filled with an awkward silence. "Don't worry, Jimmy phoned me about them last night, and rest assured that this will remain secret under my peers."

"Glad you understand," Yue acknowledged.

"So, are we ready to hit the road to your first Frontier challenge, Ash?" He was, but a chilling thought rushed into his brain.

"Are we going to have to take your car again?" he asked.

"Yes and no. We can't possibly fit everyone in there, which is why I asked Falkner here to help give us a lift."

* * *

"SKAR-R!-!"

"PIDGEOT-PIDGEOT-T-T-T!-!" Within minutes, and after Ash made a quick Pokemon change, Falkner, Ash and Pikachu, Yue, and Dawn were airborne en route to the Battle Facility. Ash and Dawn had hitched a ride on a large metal bird known to Yue's Pokedex as a Skarmory, while Dawn's Pokedex identified the large tan bird that Falkner and Yue were riding as a Pidgeot. Lyra, Khoury, Brock, Chisame, and Chamo all hitched a ride with Scott in his red Corvette.

"So where's this facility?" Ash asked.

"It's built in the basement of Sprout Tower," Falkner replied. "The leader there's a good friend of mine. I'm sure that you'll find his rules a bit intriguing."

"How so?" Yue wondered. Falkner smiled.

"I'll leave that for you guys to find out."

"**WOAH MOMMA!-!-!" **Just then, Chamo randomly shot through the air from below, before arcing downward back into Scott's car.

"Does that man know how to drive properly?" Falkner complained.

"Who knows," Dawn sighed. "I'm just surprised that a pothole could give someone that much airtime." Ahead, above the treeline, stood a tall pagoda tower. The tower was swaying back and forth in the gentle breeze that flowed through the sky.

"Is that Sprout Tower?" Yue asked.

"Sure is," Ash replied. "And inside is my first Frontier match!"

"Pi-pikachu!"

"Pidgeot, Skarmory! Down!" The two Flying Pokemon nodded, and they slowly descended to the ground, landing just in front of the entrance of the building. Scott parked his corvette a few yards away. Lyra and Khoury were the first to get out, and they were looking green, in more ways than one.

"I-I think my life just flashed before my eyes…!" Lyra shuddered.

"Yeah?" Khoury stated. "Mine flashed before that Stantler on the road…" Chisame and Brock weren't that far behind, and shared the two's sentiments.

"A-Again…" Chisame groaned. "…Again with that crazy driver…"

"…I'd rather not talk about that ride…" Brock declared. On his shoulder was Chamo, nearly passed out from his unexpected flight.

"Well, here we are!" Scott declared. "Sprout Tower, home of the Battle Factory!"

"Battle Factory?" Ash said in confusion. "I thought the Battle Factory was located outside of Cerulean City?" The Battle Frontier owner spun around, flashing his trademark.

"It is. But I imagine the Battle Factory as the starting block for a run at the Frontier Brains, so I decided to create another Factory here in Johto. Noland has no hard feelings on me for that one." Falkner recalled his Pokemon, and the group entered the building. Inside was an ornate, old structure, with a swaying beam as its central support. At least three decks were visible above the ground floor, with a staircase in the back right corner leading up to the next floor. In addition, a staircase in the back left corner led downward.

Several monks were present, dressed in dark robes. They bowed as Scott strode inside. "Welcome, Master Scott!"

"Howdy, gentlemen!" Scott replied. "Is Thorton here today? Ash Ketchum here's looking for a battle."

"Of course," one of the monks replied. "Just head down to the basement." And so, everyone headed down the stairs towards the basement level. By everyone, that included the monks; they didn't want to miss a battle involving the Factory Head.

The stairs wend down a ways, before looping back and continuing further down. Metal replaced wood, electric lights illuminated the stairs, and by the time they reached the battlefield, one would hardly remember that they were in an ancient temple. Bluish hues dominated the walls, stands, and even the battlefield, which consisted of bluish dirt with a pool of water in the center Pokeball. There were no other entrances to the Basement.

"Remind me that we're not in Mahora OR Kansas anymore," Chisame muttered.

"What's Kansas?"

"…Brock, shut up." Ash and one monk headed straight to the field, while everyone else walked over to the grandstands. When they sat down, Dawn rummaged through her bag, and pulled out…

"Kimonos and cheerleading outfits?" Chamo was perplexed. "Are we cheering again like with the contest?" Dawn nodded.

"Yue wanted to have Squirtle watch Ash's match, so she wanted me to pull these little outfits out again. Plus, Buneary and Piplup love to cheer Pikachu on, as do I…" She pulled out a full-sized cheerleading outfit, indicating that she would be changing into it shortly.

"I understand that bit," Chamo stated. "But there are two kimonos AND two cheerleading outfits for Pokemon." Dawn suddenly gained a forced smile.

"Oh, that? That's punishment for you exposing a little secret of mine to the general public an hour ago."

"H-Hey, Dawny-girl! W-Why the evil face? A-Ah, hehehe…" While Chamo tried to find a way out of his current situation, the monk on the ground cleared his throat.

"MASTER THORTON! YOU HAVE A REQUEST OF CHALLENGE FROM A MASTER ASH KETCHUM FROM PALLET TOWN!" The second that the monk finished his statement, a puff of smoke appeared in front of Ash and Pikachu. Out of the smoke appeared a young man, not too much older than Brock, with glossy black hair that was gelled up and to his left in two separate bands, stoic blue eyes, and a facial expression that would make a scrooge look joyous. His white long-sleeved shirt and black vest made him look like a waiter; while the blue tie, green knee-length pants, black and blue sneakers, and long white socks said otherwise. A rather large back pocket on his blue belt held both Pokeballs and a large tablet of sorts.

"Welcome to the Battle Factory!" His voice sounded upbeat, but his expression remained monotonous. "My name is Thorton, Factory Head Thorton."

"My name's Ash Ketchum from Pallet Town!" Ash stated.

"Pika-pikachu!" Ash wanted to ask about how he was able to appear in front of him, but Thorton pulled out his tablet, apparently looking up something on the machine.

"Uhmm…excuse me?"

"Don't mind me," Thorton said, not looking up from the device. "What I'm using is an invention of mine."

"You're an inventor?"

"Yup. This is a data analyzer machine that can scan Pokemon whether they are inside Pokeballs or not. The information that I gather from them during battles helps me prepare for any situation that should occur at any time." He paused. "According to my data analyzer, you currently have a Pikachu, a Staraptor, a Buizel, an Infernape, a Bayleef, and a Heracross. I have to say, that's a good setup."

"Really?" Ash said, excited. "You think so?"

"Mh-hm. It's a combination of speed, agility, and power. Scott's spot on when he describes your battle philosophy. I'd wager that you have, say, a fourteen percent chance of beating me today?" Ash facefaulted.

"Eh?-! You just were praising how good my team was!" The Factory Head chuckled.

"Oh, don't mind that small number; it doesn't take much not to beat me. All righty, let's get going!" Before Ash could issue a retort, Thorton turned around and headed over to the opposite trainer's box. "No losing for me today!"

"Someone drank a little too much coffee today," Ash muttered.

"Pi-ka…" The refereeing monk began to explain the rules.

"This will be an official Battle Frontier match between the challenger Ash Ketchum and the Factory Head Thorton! The match will consist of five one-on-one matches determined at random by the board across from the stands!" At once, a board lit up on that side of the facility. Colored red and blue, with a twelve-paneled circle in the middle, it looked like a roulette wheel at a casino. The lighted panels were alternating with each other, and both had the image of a Pokemon imposed on the background. On the red side were Ash and his team, in the order of Pikachu, Staraptor, Bayleef, Buizel, Infernape, Heracross. It was the first time that his friends had seen his choices for the battle.

"Looks like Ash swapped out Torterra and Gible for this match!" Dawn noted excitedly. She had changed into her cheerleading outfit, complete with pom-poms.

"It looks like he's gone for speed over power," Khoury observed. "Torterra has the presence and acceleration of a truck going uphill, but Bayleef has a much leaner frame. And Heracross is a larger and more agile version of his Gible."

"Seems like my Ash got a good chance at out-running Thorton!" Lyra cheered. This got everyone's attention.

"_Your _Ash?" Yue questioned.

"Ay…um…" Fortunately for Lyra, Scott had paid attention to a different part of her statement.

"Don't get your hopes too high up, miss; Thorton's got a nice combination of power and speed as well, plus a few heavyweight fighters on the side." Everyone turned their heads back to the board. On Thorton's side were the Pokemon Jolteon, Metagross, Alakazam, Scizor, Skarmory, and an unidentifiable Pokemon.

"He's right," Brock added. "On top of that, the referee said that the battles will be randomly picked. While Ash now knows about the identity of his opponent's Pokemon, he can't go and bring in the best possible choice to defeat any one of them."

"There's not much hope for Ash if he gets a matchup like Buizel an' Metagross," Chamo noted. The others were stifling laughter. "What?"

"Nothing," Chisame smiled. "But I think you'd be the best choice for Ash out there. You'd make Thorton's Pokemon die from laughter!" This sent the three cheerleading Pokemon – Buneary, Squirtle, and Piplup – into howls of laughter at Chamo, who was wearing a very uncomfortable, poorly-fitting cheerleading outfit, probably meant for Buneary.

"Aw, shaddup!" Chamo growned. "No need to hear about the peanut gallery!" Lyra giggled at this, as did the others, but she was mentally wiping her brow. A minor slip-up had now been all but forgotten. Save for a glaring look from Yue.

"We will now decide the first match!" The lights on the board began to move upon the referee's command. Ash's light moved right, only landing on his Pokemon. Thorton's blue light did the same in the opposite direction. After ten seconds of movement, the board slowed down, and eventually stopped, revealing the matchup: Heracross vs. Jolteon. "Trainers, release your Pokemon!"

"Heracross! I choose you!" Ash released a very large, blue single-horned beetle.

"Heracross!" Yue's Pokedex had a better explanation.

*HERACROSS, THE SINGLE-HORN POKEMON. HERACROSS ARE POWERFUL CREATURES THAT ARE KNOWN TO DRIVE THEIR SINGLE HORNS INTO THE BELLIES OF THEIR FOES AND THEN TOSS THEM OVER THEIR HEADS. THE IMMENSE POWER OF THEIR MEGAHORN MOVE IS SAID TO BE THE STRONGEST AMONG BUG POKEMON.*

"Go, Jolteon!" Thorton's Pokemon was a yellow and white dog-like creature. It had a spiky collar, spikes near the end of its back instead of a tail, and even a small spike on its large ears.

"Jolt! Jolt!"

*JOLTEON, THE LIGHTNING POKEMON. JOLTEON IS THE EVOLVED FORM OF EEVEE. WHEN ANGERED OR FRIGHTENED, THE HAIRS ON JOLTEON'S BODY BECOME LIKE NEEDLES THAT ARE FIRED AT ITS OPPONENTS. IT CAN ALSO DISCHARGE BOLTS OF ELECTRICITY FROM ALL OVER ITS BODY.*

"Not good!" Brock grunted. "Even though Heracross is a Bug-Type, it'll still be painful to have to take an Electric attack in the air!"

"Begin the match!"

"Heracross, let's start the battle off quick! Use Megahorn!" Heracross flew into the air, and charged at the Lightning Pokemon. Its horn began to glow.

"Hmph!" Thorton was unphased. "Jolteon, Double Team!" Multiple copies of Jolteon appeared in a circle around the 'original' one. 'Original' because when Heracross blew through it, it disappeared.

"Hang on, Heracross!" Ash called. "Close your eyes to focus on the real one!"

"Not going to happen! Use Shadow Ball!" All of the Jolteon copies began to store a shadowy ball of energy in their mouths as Heracross shut its eyes in an attempt to find the real one. Before that was accomplished, however, the real Jolteon fired the attack, scoring a good deal of damage.

"Heracross!"

"Pika!"

"Now, Thunderbolt!" Jolteon's fur bristled, and electricity shot at the Single Horn Pokemon's body.

"Dodge it!" Heracross recovered from the Shadow Ball, and flew into the air.

"Aim your attack higher!"

"Jolt! JO-O-OLT!" Instantly, the output of the Thunderbolt changed, and the attack moved to strike Heracross.

"CRO-O-O-OS-S!" The Single Horn Pokemon was downed from the air, and landed with a small thud. He was still able to battle, but was badly wounded.

"Heracross! Can you stand?"

"H-her-r-r-cros-s…"

"I think this round is nearly over, Jolteon. Double Team, now!" Again, Jolteon split into copies, this time surrounding the Single Horn Pokemon as it was getting up.

"Stay still, Heracross! Hold your strength until the real one attacks!"

"Crus…" Heracross waited, barely moving in place. The tension in the room mounted…unless you were watching the cheering squad.

"Hang on, Heracross!" Dawn shouted.

"Bun! Buneary!"

"Pi-Pi-Piplup!"

"Squirtle! Squirtle!"

"…Go, beetle-man…"

"You can at least show some enthusiasm, Chamo," Khoury scolded.

"Jolteon, Shadow Ball!" Again, the Lightning Pokemon began to store energy in its mouth, as did its copies. This time, Heracross was zeroed in from the start.

"When I give the go," Ash ordered, "Fly in the direction I tell you to and use-!"

"Fire!" Thorton cut him off, as the real Jolteon fired.

"Wah! Directly in front, Heracross! Fly up and use Fury Attack!" Heracross opened his eyes. The Single Horn Pokemon flew up into the air, dodging the Shadow Ball attack. There was no time for the Lightning Pokemon to dodge, and it was hit head-on by a flurry of arms, feet, body, and horn.

"Steady, Jolteon! Prepare a Take Down attack!" Jolteon minimized the blow by landing on its feet, and skidded to a stop. It then ran headlong towards Heracross.

"Perfect! Heracross, use Hyper Beam!" Heracross began storing his own ball of energy, though this one was the color of flames. When Jolteon was no more than five feet away, Heracross fired, and immediately, the ball of energy became a massive beam that completely engulfed Jolteon. The Lightning Pokemon was sent back to the edge of the battlefield, completely knocked out.

"Jolteon is unable to continue!" The referee shouted. "Heracross wins! The score is one to nothing in favor of the challenger!"

"Way to go, Heracross!" Ach cheered.

"Pi-Pikachu!"

"Her-cross!" The Single Horn Pokemon still had the energy to fly over to Ash and tackle his trainer to the ground. "Cross! Cross!"

"Hahaha! I've missed you too, buddy!"

"I thought you said that he had a powerful lineup," Yue wondered to Brock.

"Thorton does have all powerful Pokemon," Brock admitted. "However, Jolteon are built for speed, not defense. Even with minimal damage, it took only two attacks to take it out, the most damage coming from that Hyper Beam."

"So a Jolteon's a cheetah…" Yue made a mental note of this. Meanwhile, the two Pokemon were recalled, and the board chose another match. This time, it was Infernape vs. Scizor.

"All right!" Lyra cheered. "This should be a slam-dunk for Ash!" The raven-haired trainer thought so too.

"Let's get on over to the next round, Infernape! Go!" The Flame Pokemon was summoned, and ready for battle.

"In-FER!"

"We're not bowing down because of a type disadvantage! Scizor, standby!" A red praying mantis was released. It had claws instead of hands, and had a metallic luster.

"Scizor!"

*SCIZOR, THE PINCER POKEMON. SCIZOR IS THE EVOLVED FORM OF SCYTHER. SCIZOR HAS A BODY WITH THE HARDNESS OF STEEL, AND IS NOT EASILY FAZED BY ORDINARY SORTS OF ATTACKS. THIS POKEMON'S PINCERS CAN CRUSH ANY HARD OBJECT IT GETS A HOLD OF INTO BITS.*

"I know a certain ermine whom I might want to put into its claws."

"I heard that, bluenette!"

"Begin the match!"

"Infernape, start this off quick with a Mach Punch attack!" The Flame Pokemon charged quickly, its right fist glowing with energy.

"Catch and release, Scizor!" Scizor caught the fist with its pincers. Latching onto Infernape, the Pincer Pokemon threw the monkey away, towards a ceiling light.

"Hang tight, Infernape! Mach Punch again!" A ceiling light stood in Infernape's paths. The Flame Pokemon grabbed the light, and swing around to reverse directions, preparing another Mach Punch.

"That last battle told me that pulling the same stunt never works, Ketchum! Catch it again!" Just like before, Scizor caught the attack. "Now, Hyper Beam!" Scizor's right pincer began to charge up a Hyper Beam; at close range, the attack would be devastating.

"Just where I thought you'd be! Infernape, Flare Blitz!"

"Ah!" Infernape's fiery hair suddenly exploded, and engulfed his entire body. Scizor was caught up in the attack, and was unable to withstand the heat. It was forced to back off, but by then, the Hyper Beam was ready.

"Hang on, Scizor! Hyper Beam!"

"Dodge and use Flare Blitz!" The Hyper Beam launched, but Scizor was so far away, it was an easy accomplishment to dodge the attack. The Flame Pokemon then zeroed in onto the Pincer Pokemon, and made a full-body tackle that sent Scizor into the opposite wall. Infernape jumped out of the way, and when the flames died down, the verdict was clear.

"Scizor is unable to battle! Infernape wins! The score is two to nothing in favor of the challenger!"

"Way to go, Infernape!" Ash cheered. Infernape walked back to the box, and high-fived both Ash and Pikachu. "Get some rest now; you were awesome out there!" The Flame Pokemon was recalled into his Pokeball. "Looks like I'm one win away from a symbol, Thorton!"

"It appears so, Ash!" Thorton yelled back. "But be warned; I still have the data to back my victory up!"

"What does he mean by that?" Dawn asked.

"It means that his most powerful Pokemon still hasn't been used yet," Khoury surmised. "And when you have a Metagross, Alakazam, and Skarmory, I can't blame him for boasting."

"Besides," Scott added, "The board just threw Ash a curveball. Look!" Everyone looked. Thorton was to send out his Skarmony, but Ash had to return Heracross to the field.

"What?-!" Lyra gasped.

"Is that even allowable?-!" Brock asked the Frontier Brain owner, who nodded.

"Unlike the Battle Factory in Kanto, I imagine this Battle Factory to be symbolic of the modern era city folk. People get bombarded from left and right with ads, promotions, and the like, telling them to do this, and to that. Before you know it, the person has to work out of a hole that they've dug because they've done all the wrong actions without realizing it, as if they had appeared at random. Using only the knowledge at hand, they must get out of the hole, and back into their course of destiny. I wanted to capture that feeling in a Pokemon Battle, and Thorton was the one who came up with this random board as a solution."

"But isn't it odd that you put the symbol of commercialism in a city that hangs onto its traditions?" Khoury inquired.

"Actually, everyone in Violet City liked the concept," Falkner stated. "We're usually used to a slower-paced lifestyle, even in the downtown ward, so having a high-risk battle style like this is a big experience for the citizens, even though Thorton had the upper hand each time." By now, both Pokemon were out. Heracross was visibly panting.

'_Victory is so close, yet Heracross can't take much more,'_ Ash thought. _'Better take this one quickly out of the way.'_

"Begin!"

"Heracross, fly up!" The Single Beetle Pokemon flew into the air, until it was level with the airborne Skarmory.

"Skarmory, use Steel Wing!" The Armor Bird Pokemon's wings began to glow, and it shot forward at Heracross.

"Let it come to you! Focus Punch!" Heracross's right fist began to glow with power, as the Single Horn Pokemon waited for Skarmory to approach.

"Drill Peck!" The strategy failed, however, when Skarmory switched to charging in with its beak, pinning the Single Horn Pokemon with its sharp beak. Heracross plummeted out of the sky for the second time today."

"Heracross!"

"Pika-pika!" Heracross was barely standing by this point.

"Her…hera…cross…"

"Finish it!" Thorton ordered. "Use Aerial Ace!"

"Oh no!" Brock cried. "Heracross is too tired to launch an attack now!" Brock was right; Heracross was still on one knee as the decisive blow came in, knocking Heracross to the ground for good.

"Heracross is unable to continue! Skarmory wins! The score is two to one in favor of the challenger!"

"Good job, Skarmory!" Thorton said.

"Skar!" the Armor Bird Pokemon cooed as it was recalled.

"You were awesome out there, Heracross!" Ash called to his fallen Pokemon, who was too dazed to even reply. "Now get a good long rest." Heracross was returned to its Pokeball, and the board restarted anew.

"Just like that, the momentum shifted," Yue commented.

"No need to worry, Yue!" Dawn stated. "Ash will have a much better time in the next round, I'm sure of it!" The board stopped, revealing Buizel vs….

"That's strange," Brock said in confusion. "I don't recognize that Pokemon.

"Whaddya know?" Thorton smirked, which looked scary on someone who showed no emotion. "Looks like you get to see my most trusted technician in battle today. "Porygon-Z, go on and hack the competition to bits!" What could only be described as a hummingbird appeared out of the Pokeball. It had a detached head with no visible neck and yellow eyes with a dartboard pattern. It had blue wing-like apparatuses on its back and a blue tail on its bottom. The rest of its body was a reddish pink with a blue cresent on its belly.

Ash had never seen such a Pokemon before, and for once, had to take out his Pokedex to analyze it. "Who's that Pokemon? A Porygon evolution?"

*NO DATA AVAILABLE.*

"What?-! How can that be?-!"

"I was given a device from the former Team Galactic headquarters to analyze," Thorton explained. "When my Porygon2 inspected it, it evolved into this little beauty I like to call Porygon-Z! The program made Porygon a little erratic -" Porygon-Z randomly spazed as he said this. " -but the program's also made Porygon much more powerful!"

"So it's a new Pokemon, huh?" Ash grinned. "Well, that's not going to intimidate me at all! Buizel! I choose you!" The Sea Weasel Pokemon was called out, and was raring to go.

"Bui! Bui!" Squirtle began to get excited on the sidelines. So much so that he nearly knocked Chamo onto the next bleacher.

"Squirtle! Squir-tle! Squirt-le!"

"Yo ninja turtle!" Chamo yelped. "Watch where you're cheering!" The referee raised his arms.

"Begin!"

"Buizel, Aqua Jet! Let's go!" Buizel became coated in a veil of water, and instantly was airborne in a jet of water, aiming straight at Porygon-Z.

"Thunderbolt, Porygon!" Ash jolted.

"Quick! Use Ice Punch to make a shield!" As Porygon-Z launched the Electric attack, Buizel's right fist began to freeze. As the Sea Weasel Pokemon was in a stream of water, when Buizel punched the water in front of him, it formed a defensive shield that was punched forward by the Aqua Jet. It shattered upon impact with the Thunderbolt, but it had done its job, as there was minimal damage done to Buizel.

"Great! Now follow up with Sonicboom!" Buizel turned tail – literally – and launched an air wave at Porygon-Z, who received some damage.

"That was great thinking in part by Ash," Scott noted. "I saw his battles in the Lake Valor Pokemon Contest, when he used opponent's Ice Beam attacks to create an Ice Missile. Now it looks like he's using the concept to create an Ice Shield!"

"Keep going, Ash!" Lyra shouted.

"Go, Buizel!" Dawn added.

"Ra…Ra…" Chamo chimed in.

"Buneary! Buneary!"

"Piplup! Pip-pip-piplup!"

"Squirtle! Squirtle-squirt-squirtle!" Squirtle even made a few mock punches in the air. One of these punches caught the eye of Falkner. There seemed to be a little bit of crystallization on the punch. It didn't duplicate itself, but the Gym Leader swore to himself that he saw an Ice Punch come out of the Tiny Turtle Pokemon's fist.

"Now Buizel, Water Pulse!" A ball of water formed in the Sea Weasel's hands, who then threw it at Porygon-Z.

"Porygon, Conversion!" Porygon-Z remained stationary, save for a few, erratic moments and a flash of blue, as the Water Pulse landed a direct hit on the Pokemon.

"All right!" Ash cheered, before looking again. Porygon-Z looked to be unaffected. "What happened?"

"Ash!" Brock called over. "That was Conversion! It changes the user's type to the opponent's, and is a signature move of Porygon and its evolutions!"

"So no more water attacks, huh," the raven-haired trainer lamented. "Alright then, Sonicboom!" Another volley of Sonicboom attacks followed.

"Conversion2!" The Sconicboom attack connected. After that, Porygon-Z's body flashed purple, and the attacks passed through the Pokemon's body harmlessly.

"What the hell?-!" Chisame shouted. "Why didn't those attacks connect at all?-!"

"That was Conversion2!" Khoury stated. "It changes the user to a type that either resist or is immune to the attack that last connected. And by the looks of things, Porygon-Z's a Ghost-Type now!"

"Porygon, Thunderbolt!" The waves of Sonicboom attacks had left Buizel wide-open to a retaliation, which happened when the Thunderbolt was shot at the Sea Weasel Pokemon. He was unable to dodge, and was forced to endure the blow.

"BUI-I-I-I-I!-!" he cried in pain.

"Buizel, no!" Ash gasped.

"Pika-Pika!" Buizel fell to the ground, and fell prey to another attack.

"Tri-Attack!" Porygon-Z's arms pointed directly at Buizel. A triangle formed, with one point colored red, another blue, and a third yellow. The attack launched, striking Buizel in the side as he was getting up. There was no cry of pain heard, because the attack froze Buizel on the spot, fully encasing the Sea Weasel Pokemon in a thick slab of ice.

"Oh no!" Ash gasped.

"What happened?-!" Yue demanded.

"That was Tri-Attack!" Lyra explained. "Not only does it deal a lot of damage, but it also has an equal chance of causing a burn, a freeze, or paralysis!"

"This is bad!" Brock said. "Buizel can't move in such a thick ice layer! They may call the round off!"

"What?-!" Dawn gasped.

"You can't be serious, bro, can you?-!" Chamo demanded. Brock remained unflinching.

"Deadly. If it was a Pokemon like Snorlax, then they would continue since it has the strength to break out. But Buizel's too small to do that! He's in serious danger!" Ash and Squirtle weren't giving up in their cheers, though.

"Buizel! Try to break out of there!"

"Pika! Pikachu-Pika!"

"Squirtle! Squirtle-squirt-squirtle-squirt-squirtle-squirtle! SQUIRTLE-SQUIRTLE!-!" However, after several seconds, nothing seemed to happen. The referee began to raise his hand.

"Buizel is unable to -!"

**!CRACK! **Everybody turned and looked at the slab of ice. A large crack ran down the middle. Buizel's tail also was glowing. Suddenly, the ice slab exploded, sending ice shards all over the stadium. Everyone from the referee to the contestants to the fans ducked to avoid the flying ice, but Porygon-Z had no protection.

"Porygon! Conversion2! Change to an Ice-Type!" Porygon-Z did just that, and save for a few initial scratches, remained unscathed. That was when Buizel lunged at it, before whipping around and smacking the Pokemon with its tail, scoring massive damage.

"P-P-GONZ-ORY-POR-NZ-RYG!-!"

"Porygon-Z!" Thorton cried. "What happened?-!"

"An Iron Tail happened!" Ash proclaimed proudly, getting up off the ground. "Nice going, Buizel!" The Sea Weasel Pokemon turned around and gave a thumbs-up to Ash.

"Bui!"

"I get it!" Khoury realized.

"Get what?" Chisame asked. "Please, I don't have any clue in what's going on, so explain, dammit!"

"When Buizel learned Iron Tail, it shattered all of the ice surrounding it. Naturally, Porygon-Z would convert to something like a Fire-Type to defend, but that would leave it vulnerable to Water atteacks, so Thorton told it to turn to an Ice-Type. However, Ice is weak to Steel-Type attacks…"

"So Ash found a way to break the Conversion cycle!" Yue finished.

"Right! Now that Buizel knows Water, Ice, and Steel-Type attacks, it'll be much harder to convert to a stronger element!" Thorton realized this too, and grunted.

"Porygon! They're still on the ropes, so use Thunderbolt!"

"Aqua Jet to dodge, Buizel!" Porygon-Z launched another bolt of electricity, but the Sea Weasel Pokemon nimbly leapt out of the way, and charged with the same velocity and power as his initial attack.

"Conversion2!" Porygon-Z flashed green. Ash picked up on this.

"It's a Grass-Type, Buizel! Ice Punch, let's go!" Buizel cocked its right arm back, before delivering a devastating Ice Punch to the now-Grass Pokemon.

"Finish it! Iron Tail!" Buizel's tail glowed, and the Sea Weasel Pokemon smacked Porygon-Z into the ground, kicking up a small dust cloud. When it settled, Porygon-Z was weakly floating in the air. Within seconds, it spazed out, using up the last of its reserves, and fell into a heap on the ground.

"Porygon-Z!" Thorton cried, running out onto the field towards his fallen Pokemon.

"Porygon-Z is unable to continue!" the referee declared. "Buizel wins! With a score of three to one, the victor is the challenger, Ash Ketchum!"

"Alright!" Ash cheered, as he went to congratulate Buizel.

"Pi-Pika!" Pikachu joined him. Buizel high-fived the two of them.

"Bui-Bui!"

"Ash won!" Lyra cheered. "Oh my God! Ash won!"

"With trademark Classic Ash, as well," Brock added. "Who would've thought that Buizel would learn Iron Tail in such a pinch?" A solitary hand was raised. "Yue?"

"When someone is forced into a corner, they have to adapt to survive. While Buizel had no attacks in his repertoire that could shatter an ice block of that size, he did have the memory of Pikachu using Iron Tail in past battles. That enabled Buizel to adapt his Sconicboom attack into a much more powerful form that would break the ice, and lead him to victory. It's like the theory of Darwinism; the strong will survive, the weak will be cast aside to perish. Just as dinosaurs and Neanderthals no longer roam the Earth, so too would the battle have been lost had Buizel…" The bibliomaniac had lost everyone in her logic.

"Darwin?" Khoury questioned.

"Neanderthals?" Scott asked.

"Yue, please don't use terms not familiar to this world," Chisame suggested. "It makes us look more out-of-place." The only one who kept up with the purplette was Falkner. Now he had more than a Pokemon to be amazed by.

* * *

Further to the west, on the outskirts of Violet City, was a series of stone ruins carved out into the hills. This was the Ruins of Alph, the last remains of a prehistoric Johto civilization that vanished without reason long ago. With the ruins their only clue, archaeologists comb the ruins for any clues as to what the culture was, why did it disappear, and what modern civilization can learn from it.

One thing that _wasn't _part of the ruins, however, was a massive pyramid. It was not of a sandstone texture, but of a metallic black carbon compound. It stood proud and silent in a forest clearing, as the sun continued to travel in its arc across the sky. Around the superstructure, the forest remained as quiet as the pyramid itself. Well, almost.

"Looks like he's here, James," Jessie said to her partners.

"And you remember that that Ho-oh we tried to capture that last time must certainly reside there now," James surmised.

"An' youse knows what wese do with an Legendary Pokemon!" Meowth chimed in.

"Present it to the boss and pay off all our debts?" the redhead guessed. "Yes! And then we'll be able to get the capital needed to pinch not only Pikachu, but the purplette and her magical friends as well!"

"Hooray!" the two male Team Rocket members cheered.

"**Electivire, Thunder!" **A blast of electricity blew the Team Rocket Trio right into the sky.

"What the heck?-!" Jessie growled. "Why are we blasting off with less than a minute of viewing time?-!"

"Beats me," James sighed. "Though I do recognize the voice."

"Then keep it ta yaself!" Meowth ordered. "No spoilin' for the reviewas at home, even if theyse can guess whose it is!"

"LOOKS LIKE TEAM ROCKET'S BLASTING THROUGH THE FOURTH WALL AGAIN!-!-!"

***!PING!* **The mysterious trainer recalled his Electivire, and began to walk to Violet City, in the opposite direction from the pyramid.

"How pathetic," he mumbled. "Not only did I lose again, but those three have to show up." He paused. "Guess if they are here, then he's here as well."

* * *

Back in the Battle Factory, everyone was on the center of the battlefield. Dawn and her cheerleading troupe (including Chamo) were changed back into their regular outfits, and Piplup and Squirtle remained out of their Pokeballs, each perched on their respective trainer's shoulder. Ash had Heracross, Infernape, and Buizel out of their Pokeballs.

"Hmm...I got handed a loss here." Thorton said. "It's not making me happy at all, this. In fact, I'm stewing here. I thought I learned a lot about Pokemon from all of those test battles. But that's all right. Some things you learn from winning, and some things you learn by losing. In light of that, I confer to you the sign of victory in the Battle Factory, the Knowledge Symbol!" Thorton handed Ash a small gold coin. Embedded in the symbol were three diamond-shaped crevasses, situated to form a triangle.

"It feels a little weird, receiving the same symbol again," Ash noted. His elation overcame his awkwardness, however, and he was soon jumping for joy. "Alright! I got the Knowledge Symbol!"

"Pi-Pikachu!"

"Her-cross!"

"In-fer-nape!"

"Bui-bui!"

"Way to go, Ash!" Brock cheered.

"You certainly made quick work of that battle!" Lyra stated. "As expected from you!"

"Well, looks like our work here is done," Dawn said.

"And not a single Negi to be found," Chamo sighed. "Aw well, at least we can move onto the next town now!"

"Not yet," Falkner stated, moving in front of Yue. "From what Ash and Jimmy have said, your name is Yue Ayase, correct?"

"Yes," the purplette responded.

"And you are the trainer for this Squirtle, right?" Scott noticed Falkner's odd behavior.

"Hey, Falkner, what picked your interest?" he asked.

"A trainer whose Pokemon I see vast potential in. You are aware of the rules of a trainer, right?"

"That when a challenge to battle is issued, they are obliged to carry the battle out? Yes." Thorton saw where this is going.

"Falkner, don't tell me that you're going to -?"

"Yes, Thorton, I am." Falkner then stated the words that focused all attention onto the blue-haired Gym Leader of Violet City, and the purplette from Mahora Academy. "Yue Ayase, I hereby challenge you to a Pokemon battle!"

* * *

_For Your Information…_

_Do I really need to explain the title?_

_A short cutscene of Negi's group was originally slated in, but I couldn't find a way to work it in correctly._

_If anyone is wondering, I chose the battles using a three-dice system. Assigning the Pokemon the numbers 1-6, two dice determined which numbered Pokemon would show. A third dice of another color determined if the lowest number was Ash's Pokemon or Thorton's._

_Also, the reasoning for Porygon-Z's absence from the Pokedex: The Dubious Disk is found in Team Galactic's headquarters. Since Team Galactic isn't disbanded until near the end of the Sinnoh Journey, it's safe to assume that there is relatively little knowledge on the Pokemon._

_For those who read _**Pete the Rock**_'s works, you know what Brock means by "Classic Ash."_

_So just as it looked like the battles were done for the day, Falkner comes in to see Squirtle's potential. How will Yue fare against her first official Pokemon Battle? Stay tuned for next time to find out! Be sure to review and read all of my stories in the meantime!_


	11. Words of Wisdom and Guidance

…_It has been FAR too long since this was updated, and it's all my fault, I know… Even worse is that this chapter and the next two were all planned out already well in advance… I'm sorry guys. If this makes it up to you guys, here's the start of the next chapter…begin…_

* * *

**Chapter XI: Words of Wisdom and Guidance**

All eyes fell on Falkner, the Violet City Gym leader, and Yue Ayase, whom Falkner had just challenged. The air was charged with and confusion, as the others tried to wrap their heads around what had just happened.

"B…battle?" Ash repeated.

"Pi-ka?-!"

"Are…are you being serious, Falkner?" Thorton asked incredulously. The Gym Leader nodded.

"There's something that I saw in Yue and her Pokemon that I want to see in action," he explained. "It's something that I can't wait to see in action." Yue wasn't so sure about facing him.

"What did you see?" she asked.

"Your Squirtle. Watching Ash battle, in particular, his Buizel, I saw Squirtle attempt to copy Buizel's Ice Punch attack. It only happened once, but I see the points for potential in it. If I may, I want to try and see if it can match my bird Pokemon in a match." Buizel turned to Squirtle.

"Bui-Bui, Bui?"

"Squirtle-Squirt!"

"That was to confirm what Falky just said," Chamo explained.

"What do you guys think?" Yue asked, turning to Ash and Lyra. It was Dawn, however, who answered the question.

"Go for it," she said. "I once did a Pokemon battle against a Gym Leader in Sinnoh back when I thought I would not be cut out for Pokemon battling. I lost the fight, but I really enjoyed the experience, and the Leader helped get me the confidence to return to contests."

"I didn't think Maylene did that much to your contest career," Ash noted. Dawn nodded.

"You should just do it," Khoury agreed. "You are here at least until you guys get back to your own world, so if I was in your spot, I'd do as much as I could to enjoy that time. After all, you only live once."

"Hey, that would actually make a good catchphrase," Chamo pondered. This earned him a bop from Buizel. "Hey!"

"Bui!" the Sea Wesel Pokemon hushed.

"…It's worth a try," Yue finally decided.

"Good," Falkner said, smiling. "Give me a minute to clear it with the monks, and we can begin."

"But I want Ash to help me as a bench coach."

"Huh?" Ash had been caught off-guard. "Why?"

"Because this is my first battle," the bibliomaniac told him. "I wouldn't want to rush into battle when I don't have much experience in doing said battles."

"Fair enough," Falkner conceded. "Ash, I'll allow you to come onto the sidelines as well. But no backseat driving, okay?"

"I don't even know how to frontseat drive." He said that in all honesty, but it sounded enough like a quip to make the others laugh a bit. "What?"

"I see your wit has increased with your travels," Falkner chuckled, before leaving to talk to the head monk. Ash was still confused.

"What'd I do?" Pikachu groaned.

"Pika…"

* * *

Over the plains of southern Kanto, Negi's group pressed on through the pleasant breezes and the lush hills. With Asuna and Setsuna as the only other humans in the group, it was reminiscent of the Kyoto trip, when the three partnered up in order to save their friend Konoka from being used to take over the magic societies of Japan.

It was their other two companions, however, that reminded him that this was a crisis in the Pokemon world...

"Wah! It's so green outside of Lavender Town!" Alyssia marveled at the countryside from Negi's right shoulder. Negi smiled kindly at the young ghost.

"Well, from what I know, the area surrounding your town is mostly rocks," he noted. "I bet we can see lots of these…Pokemon that you never have imagined before." It was still difficult for him to grasp, the thought of being in another completely different world. The Magical World, with concepts similar to the folklores and legends of medieval man, is one thing. The Pokemon World had no equivalent creatures or items that he could think of.

A small hand tugged at his left cheek. Chibi-Eva gave him an inquiring look. "And what are these so-called Pokemon creatures? I haven't gotten a proper explanation since we left that hell-hole of a town." Alyssia quickly changed tune, upset at how the Undying Mage had described her hometown.

"L-Lavender Town has much more life to it than ghosts and zombies!" she argued. "Like the Radio Tower! And Mr. Fuji!"

"And that man-eating demon that I vanquished?"

"…Y-You came at the wrong time to judge the town!-!" From the side, Asuna and Setsuna couldn't help but smile at the scene.

"Doesn't this look so much like…?" Setsuna began.

"Totally," Asuna finished. The two friends giggled, gaining the other three's attention away from the current topic.

"What's so funny?" Chibi-Eva demanded.

"You two are just like a children's cartoon conscience," Asuna grinned. "On one side of the character's shoulder is the right angelic side, and on the left is the evil, suggestive, **annoying** side!"

"WHO'S ANNOYING?-!" Chibi-Eva, in her annoyance at the one girl that hit her – twice – fired a small ice spell, a series of ice darts, at Asuna. Obviously, with Magic Cancel, the darts that struck Asuna did absolutely nothing. Some of them, however, whizzed straight past Setsuna, nearly carving up her sailor uniform had she not jumped away.

"Woah!" she gasped, sidestepping out of the way of the attack.

"Eva!" Asuna scolded. "Don't go shooting magic for every little thing that crosses your temper!"

"Y-Yes!" Negi agreed. "You're going to hurt somebody if you keep doing that!" Chibi-Eva scoffed at the two.

"And? It's not like anyone's around here or anywhat."

**!CRACK!**

**!SNAP!**

"**YAI!"**

**!THUD!**

"…"

"…"

"…"

"…we better go help whoever that was," Setsuna suggested.

"Yes!" Negi agreed. The group ran over to a nearby tree, where one of the branches had broken off from Chibi-Eva's attack. At the base of the tree were a pair of brown pigeons and a girl with bluish-green hair, all of whom had just been in the tree. The girl had twin pigtails that fell to just below her shoulders, and wore a red sweater that left a few inches of her stomach, blue jeans held up with a white belt, and red sneakers. In each of her ears was a gold star earring. A yellow knapsack lay a few feet away from the three.

"Oww…" she groaned, rubbing her back. She got up, and quickly looked around for the two Pokemon that fell with her. "Ditto! Mini-Dit! Are you two okay?"

"Ditto?" Alyssia whispered into Negi's ear, confused. "They look like Pidgey, though." As she said this, though, the two Pigeons sparked into a strange white light, and shrunk into two small pink masses with no definite shape, save for plain-looking faces and small stubby arms.

"Woah!" Negi gasped. "It transformed!"

"Ditto!" the two creatures replied to their trainer. A look of relief washed over her face.

"That's good, you two aren't injured. I have no idea what could have knocked us out of the tree." Asuna and Setsuna looked directly at Chibi-Eva. The girl took note at the group's presence. "Who are you guys? A sort of travelling circus?"

"Not at all!" Asuna said in surprise. "We're just a group of ordinary travelers!"

"Oh really? I don't remember ever seeing anyone wearing outfits as strange as yours. Nor do they have antiquated weapons such as swords, or wear dolls on their shoulders. I mean, if they were Pokedolls meant to throw at wild Pokemon, then I'd under-"

"I AM NOT POKEMON BAIT, YOU LOWLIFE HUMAN!"

"…" The girl and her Pokemon looked squarely at Negi's left shoulder. "Did…did that doll just talk…?"

"Ugh…" Setsuna facepalmed. "Eva, do you honestly know how to keep a low profile…?"

"If I could hurt you, Eva, I would," Alyssia muttered.

"Want me to do that for you?" Asuna offered.

* * *

"This battle between Yue Ayase of Mahora City and Falkner of Violet City is about to begin! Each trainer will use two Pokemon; in addition, as per a request by Yue Ayase, Ash Ketchum will be allowed as an in-battle coach for her. Whoever can defeat both of their opponent's Pokemon first will be declared the winner!"

"Yue, even though I'm the challenger, I won't be switching out my Pokemon!" Falkner called out.

"What does Falkner mean?" Yue asked.

"Normally in gym battles, the Gym Leader is not allowed to substitute their Pokemon in the middle of a battle round," Ash explained. "It looks like Falkner is going to still play by those rules, even though he's technically the challenger."

"I'll also bring out the first Pokemon! Noctowl!" The Violet City Gym Leader released a large brown owl. It had a tan crest on its head that extended from its beak, splitting into two and ending just above its head.

"BUYOO!" Noctowl cawed. Ash was impressed, while Yue got her Pokedex out.

"Huh. So his Hoothoot evolved…"

*NOCTOWL, THE OWL POKEMON. NOCTOWL IS THE EVOLVED FORM OF HOOTHOOT. NOCTOWL OFTEN TWISTS ITS HEAD 180 DEGREES WHEN IT IS THINKING. THIS HIGHLY INTELLIGENT POKEMON EYES HAVE A SPECIAL POWER THAT ALLOWS IT TO SEE IN THE FAINTEST LIGHT, AS IF IT WAS THE MIDDLE OF THE DAY.*

"Evolved form of Hoothoot…" Yue mumbled. "Then I'll use Hoothoot!" The purplette released her Owl Pokemon.

"Hoothoot!" Not sure of the present surroundings, Hoothoot looked around the battlefield. "Hoot?"

"We're trying out Pokemon battling for the time," Yue explained. Hoothoot nodded, and turned to face Noctowl. Yue turned to Ash. "What do you recommend to start out the battle?"

"Usually, I open up first with a quick opening strike to catch the opponent off-guard."

"Hmm…not what I'd do at the beginning. I'll wait for him to move first."

"Noctowl versus Hoothoot!" the refereeing monk declared. "Begin!"

"I don't know what you're thinking having an evolution match," Falkner noted, "but I know which one's the strongest! Noctowl, use Wing Attack"

"Buyoo!" Noctowl's wing glowed white, as the Pokemon flew straight at Hoothoot.

"Hoothoot knows Peck, Hypnosis, Mimic, and…right! Hoothoot! Use Reflect!"

"Hoo!" Hoothoot's eyes glowed white. Just as Noctowl approached Hoothoot, a clear, glass-like barrier was thrown up right in between the two Pokemon. Noctowl was thrown back several feet when he struck the barrier. The attack never hit Hoothoot.

"Yes!" Yue smiled.

"For someone who's a novice at battles, you're first move is a long-lasting strategy," Falkner noted. "Not too bad!"

"What was that?" Chamo asked. He was up with the others in the spectator stands.

"That was Reflect," Khoury explained. "It casts a barrier that deflects physical attacks."

"Physical attacks?" Chisame was perplexed. "Wouldn't it be projectiles?"

"That would be Light Screen that you're talking about," Brock told her. "The two are very similar attacks."

"I wouldn't put too much stock in Reflect," Thorton warned. "The barrier will eventually break, and with Hoothoot at such a low level, the barrier won't last much more than a handful of attacks…" Ash knew this as well.

"Yue, you'd want to attack now, while you have that Reflect barrier up," he advised. "You won't have the barrier for long."

"Right. Hoothoot, use Peck!" Hoothoot flew at its evolutionary form, its beak glowing a brilliant white.

"Noctowl, dodge it!" Noctowl flew just above Hoothoot. The smaller Pokemon flew straight under Noctowl, eliciting a smirk from Yue.

"Now! Tackle attack!" Hoothoot immediately shot upward, tackling Noctowl up towards the ceiling.

"Nice one, Yuecchi!" Chamo cheered.

"Good shot, but not enough to shake Noctowl!" Falkner said. "Confusion!" Noctowl's eyes glinted red, and a red aura formed around the Owl Pokemon, preventing him from crashing into the ceiling. The aura transferred from one Owl Pokemon to another, sending a surprised Hoothoot crashing into the ground.

"See what I mean?" Thorton put out.

"Hoothoot!" Dawn gasped. "Hang in there!"

"Pi-Piplup-Pip!"

"Keep going, Yue!" Lyra called out. "Stay strong!"

"Noctowl, Wing Attack!" Again, Noctowl charged at Hoothoot. Again, he was stopped by the Reflect barrier. This time, however, the barrier shattered, allowing Noctowl to continue through, albeit minus the Wing Attack.

"It broke!" Chisame exclaimed.

"Not that we weren't expecting it…" Khoury said.

"Now, use Zen Headbutt!" Noctowl's crest began to emit a purple aura, as the Pokemon began to charge at Hoothoot. The attack struck at full force, knocking Hoothoot back near the ground.

"Hoothoot, use Mimic!" Hoothoot's eyes glowed white for a brief second. Then, the Owl Pokemon's head began to emit a purple aura, as the Pokemon copied Noctowl's attack. The attack did some reasonable damage to Noctowl.

"All right!" Chamo cheered. "It hit!"

"But why was it Noctowl's attack?" Chisame wondered.

"Mimic's a pretty unique attack," Scott explained. "The attack has the user copy the previous attack the opponent used. The user loses the attack after the battle though."

"It's still not over!" Brock alerted them. "That Noctowl's at a pretty good level!"

"Let's wrap everything up in feathers and talons, Noctowl!" Falkner ordered. "Wing Attack, now!" Noctowl struck Hoothoot with its wings, sending Hoothoot crashing into the ground. The little Owl Pokemon was not getting up.

"Hoothoot is unable to battle!" the monk declared. "Noctowl wins!"

"Ah!" Yue ran out to Hoothoot. "Hoothoot, can you stand conscience?" Hoothoot was able to look up at Yue.

"Hoo…"

"Good. You did well for your first battle, Hoothoot. Take a breather for now." She returned Hoothoot into the Pokeball. She returned over to her battle box. "So how'd I do, Ash?"

"Not bad, considering that this was the first time we've seen Hoothoot in battle since you captured Hoothoot."

"Kachu!" Pikachu agreed.

"Thanks," Yue said. "Now there's only one choice that I have for now." She took out Squirtle's Pokeball and, holding it in her hand, eyed it as if it was Pandora's Box.

"Do you think that what Falkner's told us is right?" Ash wondered. "About Ice Punch, I mean?" Yue took out her Pokedex.

"Let's check…" She scanned Squirtle's Pokeball with the Pokedex. "Squirtle knows Tackle, Bubble, Withdraw…huh?" A fourth attack, Ice Punch, was there, but it was pulsating on the screen. "What does the pulsating attack mean?"

"Eh?" Ash took a look at the screen. The Pokemon Trainer scratched his head. "Uh, I don't really know. I never really take much note at the Pokedex other than new Pokemon."

"Idiot…"

"But If I had to guess, it would be that Squirtle's close to learning the attack, or something of the sort."

"I could have guessed that myself." Falkner called over to the two.

"Hey, are we having a second round, or are you throwing in the towel to have a chat?" Yue returned her attention to the Violet City Gym Leader.

"I'm continuing this fight!" the purplette told him. "Squirtle, let's go!" The Tiny Turtle Pokemon was called out.

"Squirtle Squirt!"

"Noctowl versus Squirtle! Begin the match!"

"If you don't mind, I'll take the first move again!" Falkner stated. "Noctowl, Wing Attack!"

"Buyoo!" The Owl Pokemon swooped down at Squirtle. The Tiny Turtle Pokemon stayed in place as the attack approached.

"Squirtle, use Bubble!" Squirtle took a deep breath, and blew out a stream of bubbles. When Noctowl struck the bubbles, the bubbles violently exploded, causing some damage to the Owl Pokemon.

"Nice!" Ash cheered.

"And now, let's try out Ice Punch!" Squirtle nodded, and charged at Noctowl. The Tiny Turtle Pokemon cocked his fist. As he did, the fist began to be coated in a light-blue layer of ice. However, just before Squirtle was about to punch the Owl Pokemon, the ice disappeared. All Squirtle did was land a light punch on his opponent.

"Squirt?"

"Huh?"

"It disappeared!" Ash exclaimed. Yue turned to him.

"How? It was indicated that the attack was there…" Falkner was disappointed in the outcome of the attack.

"Shame, guess I was wrong about Squirtle. Noctowl! Zen Headbutt!" Noctowl charged at Squirtle and headbutted the Tiny Turtle Pokemon. The attack sent Yue's Pokemon some ways, but he manage to land on his feet.

"Squirtle!" Dawn gasped.

"Piplup!"

"If you can't learn to harness an attack that I know I saw," Falkner said, "then my bird Pokemon will knock you to the ground! Noctowl, use Wing Attack and finish this novice trainer off!" Noctowl charged at Squirtle, the Pokemon's wings glowing once again. This gave Yue an idea.

"Harness, huh? Squirtle, hold your ground until the last possible second!" Squirtle did as she said, getting down on all fours. Ash was confused.

"What are you planning?"

"Watch." Noctowl was almost about to strike. "Jump on top of Noctowl!" Squirtle jumped. As he came down, Noctowl swooped underneath. The Owl Pokemon was caught so off-guard that his attack missed completely. Squirtle, meanwhile, landed right on the Flying Pokemon's back.

"What?-!" Falkner grew nervous at the sudden turn of events. "Shake Squirtle off!"

"Hold on with your left hand, Squirtle!" Yue ordered. "Don't fall off!" Squirtle grabbed the back of Noctowl's neck. Noctol tried to throw the Tiny Turtle Pokemon off by flying in awkward, jerking movements – to the right, then down to the left, loop the loop, so on and so forth.

"Looks like Squirtle's doin' the rodeo!" Chamo noted.

"So there are a few connections between worlds…" Scott noted to himself.

"Now, use your right hand to punch Noctowl!" Squirtle while trying to maintain his hold, began to punch Noctowl. At first, the only thing that the punches did was further the erratic movements that Noctowl was making.

"What's going through Yue's mind?" Lyra wondered. "Punching isn't going to do-!"

**!BEEP-BU-BE-BEEP!**

"Huh?" Dawn looked around. "What was that sound?"

"That's a Pokedex move indicator!" Thorton exclaimed.

"A what?" Brock asked.

"It's an upgrade that I developed for the latest model of the Pokedex. When a new move is learned, it makes a beeping noise."

"Hey guys, look at Squirtle!" The group looked to Noctowl. The punches were beginning to get encased in ice. Noctowl now began to fly lower and lower.

"What?-!" Falkner gasped.

"Ha!" Ash cheered. "Looks like Falkner was only a little ahead of things!"

"Pika-Pikachu-Pi!"

"Now!" Yue ordered, sweeping her right hand in front of her. "Ice Punch!"

"Squirt-le!" The last punch that Squirtle threw was almost a complete copy of the one Buizel had used in the battle against Porygon-Z. The Ice Punch sent Noctowl completely towards the ground.

"That was Ice Punch!" Khoury exclaimed.

"Alright!" Dawn cheered.

"Noctowl, Shadow Ball!" Just before Noctowl struck the ground, a ball of purple energy formed in the Owl Pokemon's claws and was launched directly at Squirtle. Being in the air, Squirtle had no chance of dodging. He was sent to the ceiling, falling right on the back of his shell. Both Pokemon did not get up.

"Both Noctowl and Squirtle are unable to battle! Since Falkner still has one Pokemon remaining, the victory goes to Falkner of Violet City!"

"Squirtle!" Ash and Yue ran out to the Tiny Turtle Pokemon. Falkner calmly returned Noctowl into the Pokeball.

"You did well, my friend. Rest a bit for now, okay?" He walked over to his opponent, who had successfully revived Squirtle. The four (when you count both Pikachu and Squirtle) were in mid-conversation when the Gym Leader approached. "I owe you guys an apology."

"Huh?" Yue questioned.

"I doubted myself when I thought that Ice Punch wouldn't have shown itself. Yet you came up with a way to bring the attack into focus. Not bad for a first-timer."

"But I lost…"

"Doesn't matter. You put up a good fight. If you do take up battling, I hope we face again with a badge on the line." He extended his hand forward.

Yue extended her hand as well, and the two shook. "Yes."

* * *

Over a lunch of sandwiches, Negi and company explained to the girl, who was named Duplica, a brief summary of their adventures up until now. In turn, she explained who she was.

"A performer?" Asuna asked.

"Yeah!" Duplica explained. "My acts usually involve myself dressing up as a person, and then Ditto transform into the person's Pokemon. I have a huge closet of clothing back at home, so I can imitate virtually any person. And Ditto has the ability to even transform into inanimate objects like cannons."

"Dit-to!" the Transform Pokemon piped up. It was eating Pokechow along with Mini-Dit.

"How cool!" Alyssia said, amazed.

"What about Mini-Dit?" Negi asked.

"Mini-Dit's a special Ditto," Duplica stated. "But rather than explaining it to you, I'll show you." She pulled out a card from her bag. On the card was a very familiar Pokemon, at least for Negi and Asuna.

"It's that rock snake from the cave!" Asuna realized.

"So you're familiar with Onyx, huh? Good, that means you know how big it is." She turned to Mini-Dit. "Mini-Dit, transform into Onyx."

"Ditto!" Mini-Dit began to glow. Negi and Asuna began to panic.

"W-Wait! You're transforming here?-!" Negi asked. The two were about to get up, when Mini-Dit transformed into Onyx…without increasing in size. "Huh?"

"Gyoo!" Mini-Dit growled. But it wasn't at the same pitch as a normal Onyx.

"It…It's so small…" Asuna gasped in awe.

"I get it!" Setsuna deduced. "Mini-Dit can't change his size! Anything that's bigger than it is simply shrunken down to size."

"That's correct!" Duplica answered. "My fascination is with Dittos that have unique transformation abilities. Though I do have interests in anything that transforms….Which is actually why I'm here."

"For another Ditto?" Alyssia asked.

"Not exactly…" The imitator took out another photo. This time, it was of a pink blur.

"Huh?" Negi tried to make out the picture, but to no avail. "The picture's all blurred."

"That's a Mew, one of the legendary Pokemon!" Alyssia gasped.

"There are reports that Mew was seen heading east from Fuchsia City in the last day or so," Duplica told the group. "Mew is the only Pokemon to be able to naturally learn Transform other than Ditto."

"So you're interested in capturing this Mew Pokemon to add to your roster of transforming Pokemon," Setsuna guessed.

"I wouldn't word it like that, Setsuna, but yeah, having a legendary transforming Pokemon like Mew would be so cool!" Duplica said, her face full of excitement. All this time, Chibi-Eva had been idly watching the conversation, occasionally taking bites out of Negi's finger [Duplica: Creepy…][Chibi-Eva: I never said that you had to watch me drink.].All of a sudden, the doll master turned her head to the sky.

"Something's coming," she stated quietly. Negi and Setsuna also took note of the presence.

"Setsuna, do you feel…?"

"Yes. Something with great power is approaching!"

"Huh?" Duplica, being a normal person, had no idea how to sense the approach of something, but she did take a look up into the sky. "Hey look!" High above them, a pink, feline-shaped creature shot past them, heading to a nearby forest.

"What was that thing?" Asuna wondered.

"That was a Mew!" Duplica declared. "There's no doubt about it! No Pokemon with that fur color floats like that! Ditto! Mini-Dit!"

"To!" The two Pokemon jumped onto Duplica's shoulders. The imitator got up, and began to run towards the forest.

"Sorry I can't stay, but I have to catch that Mew!"

"Wait!" Negi called out. "We'll come and help you!"

"We will?" Asuna asked.

"If you remember, Boya, we're trying to get our bearings as it is!" Chibi-Eva protested. "Do you seriously want to sidetrack us?"

"I'm sure that a little detour won't give us too much problems!" Negi assured her.

"Idiot!" Asuna shouted. "That's what the main character of any story says before something terrible happens!" Reluctantly, though, the others followed the child mage towards the forest's edge.

* * *

The crowds on the sidewalk parted to let the Team Rocket Trio pass through on their makeshift crutches, made using broken branches. The three were battered, bruised, and beaten. Their clothing was singed, probably from the impact of the ground after they blasted off.

"Ugh…" Jessie groaned. "Anyone else think that that Blast-Off was more painful than usual…"

"I don't know," Meowth sighed. "It's been too many times now; I've gone an' gotten numb ta the pain…"

"It's times like this that I wish we had rubber padding…" James lamented.

"Sigh…" the three said in unison. Just then, James spotted someone in the crowd.

"Look! The twerps!" The group, consisting of Ash, Yue, Chisame, Chamo, Dawn, Brock, Khoury, Scott, and Lyra, were approaching the Pokemon Center, fresh off their battles with Thorton and Falkner. In between them and their destination was Team Rocket.

"Quick!" Jessie hissed. "Hide!"

"Right!" the two nodded. They ducked into an alleyway in between the Pokemon Center and a neighboring building, allowing the group to past. As they did so, the Trio eavesdropped on a conversation between Chisame, Khoury, and Brock, who were bringing up the rear of the group.

"…still has a long ways to go, but Yue did show much more knowledge as a trainer than Ash ever did at the beginning stages of his journey."

"Really, Brock? Considering how much Ash has helped Yue, I'm surprised."

"Actually, from the brief time I've traveled with Ash, it's not much of a surprise at all."

"If I may be overestimating, so be it; but I believe that she has a higher ceiling of potential than Ash does. He may even learn a thing or two from that girl…" The group entered the Pokemon Center.

"That's just great," James muttered. "I don't really envision the idea of having another Twerpette that can blow our jobs…" He began to walk out of the alleyway with Meowth, but the Cat Scratch Pokemon noticed something, and pulled him back. "Yee!"

"Shh!"

"What is it-?" Jessie cut herself off, as a familiar boy walked past the alleyway. He had purple hair, wore a blue jacket with black sleeves, black jeans, and blue shoes, and emitted an arrogant and disconcerned attitude as he passed. Team Rocket peeked out of the alleyway, totem style, after he passed.

"It's the Twerp from Sinnoh!" Jessie gasped.

"What's he doing in Johto?" James wondered.

"Probably for tha same reasons as main Twerp!" Meowth reasoned.

"He's going into the Pokemon Center," James noted. "That doesn't bode well, knowing the two's relationship with each other."

"Wobbuffet!"

"Probably they bite each other's - ! Get back in your ball!"

"Woo-bu…"

* * *

"Welcome back!" Nurse Joy greeted warmly. "How can I help you guys today?" Yue placed Squirtle and Hoothoot's Pokeballs on a tray, while Ash put Heracross, Infernape, and Buizel on another.

"Can you heal our Pokemon?" Yue asked. "Along with one other thing?"

"Sure thing! I'll take your Pokemon first, and then I can take your request." Nurse Joy took the two trays into a back room.

"Something up?" Lyra wondered.

"I've decided…I'm taking part in the Pokemon League here in Johto!" Ash and the group were taken aback.

"You're going to join in the league?" he asked. Yue nodded.

"Does it have anything to do with expanding the search for the others?" Chisame questioned.

"Yes. When I thought about it, the Pokemon League is the perfect way to attract everyone to one central point. If I am able to be successful, and they start showing me on camera, Professor Negi and the others can find out where we are. Even if I fail, if they see us with Ash or Dawn on television, that would be enough to show them our location. And…"

"And what?" Chamo asked.

"I enjoyed the battle. Even though we didn't win, I was able to see Squirtle and Hoothoot in a whole new light of understanding. We bonded in a way that I can't describe the best way in words…it was like a partnership. They knew to trust me, and I knew to rely on them." The others stared at her for a moment.

Ash was the first to speak. "You're absolutely right! That's just how I view the relation between myself and Pikachu!"

"Pi-Pikachu!"

"Same goes for me and Piplup!" Dawn added.

"Pi-Piplup!"

"My Pokemon have the same feelings!" Lyra continued.

"All of us do," Brock surmised. "I don't know how you'll do in your next battle, but certainly, you have the right mindset for success." Nurse Joy returned.

"Okay, your Pokemon will be healed soon. What else was it that you wanted?" Yue turned back to the counter.

"Can I register for the Pokemon League here?"

"Sure thing! Just give me your Pokedex…" Yue handed over her Pokedex. Nurse Joy connected it to the computer behind the reception desk. After a few second, she returned the Pokedex. "Alright, everything's set! Good luck on your journey, Yue!"

"Thank you!"

"**So they're allowing more idealists to compete in the Legue? Pathetic, just pathetic."**

"That voice…!" Ash and company turned around. The boy with purple hair was there, standing near the entrance. He had heard the conversation. "Paul!"

"Who's Paul?" Chisame asked.

"I'm in the same boat as you guys," Lyra admitted. "Khoury and I never met him." Brock's face twisted in displeasure.

"Paul's a rival trainer from the Sinnoh Region," he explained. "He and Ash have been butting heads since the beginning of our journey through Sinnoh because Paul relies much more on strength than cooperation with his Pokemon."

"What are you doing here Paul?" Ash asked.

"Only what any average trainer comes here to do," Paul answered. "Though 'average' doesn't really apply to you." He turned his attention back to Yue. "So you're going to be my competitor, huh?"

"Competitor?" Paul took out a badge case. He opened it to reveal two badges.

"I'm already a quarter of the way to the competition, and I'd like to test the competition out if I didn't need to heal my Pokemon."

"Hold on!" Ash interrupted. "I thought that anyone who participated in the Lily of the Valley Competition couldn't participate in any league events!"

"Do you forget who eliminated me out of the competition?" Ash sweatdropped.

"Oh, yeah…"

"Idiot…"

"That aside, what do you mean by needing to heal your Pokemon?" Brock asked. Scott had an idea.

"Don't tell me you went and challenged Brandon again?"

"Huh?" Dawn remembered the name. "Brandon? Here in Johto?"

"Who's Brandon?" Lyra asked.

"Brandon's one of the Frontier Brains," Scott explained. "Paul's brother competed in the Battle Frontier and lost to Brandon, and a few months ago, I got word that Paul had challenged Brandon and lost."

"So what if I did?" Paul asked rhetorically. "It's not like it matters to shrimps like you."

"Pika…"

"I'd like to see you say that again!" Ash growled.

"I wasn't referring to you, Ash."

"I would kindly ask you not to call me a shrimp," Yue asked, a hint of edge in her voice.

"Listen, you have to earn my respect, girl," Paul stated. "Until then, you're nothing more than a pathetic little girl, especially if you intend to follow Ash's method of training. Survival of the fittest is the common mode of every Pokemon Trainer, good or bad."

"Really?" Yue countered. "Last I saw, that attitude got Ash much further than you or your brother ever did, in terms of the Battle Frontier. Also, he did beat you with that attitude. I may be only a week into this world, but I can see it's your choice on how you go around battling and raising Pokemon. I've seen many people and seen several battles already, and I can say that no matter how you battle, sharing the hopes and dreams that you all share is a crucial component of being a Pokemon Trainer."

"A week in this world, huh?"

"E-Erk…"

"We weren't supposed to tell anyone about our origins…" Chisame muttered.

"So Brandon's new assistant was right…" Paul muttered. Scott was caught off-guard.

"Hold on. I know Brandon told me that he was at Ruins of Alph, so you facing him was not a surprise to me. But all assistants have to go through me. He's never told me about getting any new personnel."

"He said that she appeared in the ruins about a week ago," Paul stated. "She was rather shy, and muttered something about not being from here, and finding some professor named after an onion…"

"What did she look like?" Yue pressed. "Tell me!"

"Yue…" Lyra trailed off.

"I need to know if she's someone I know!"

"Please, Paul," Dawn asked. "We're helping her to find her friends, and any information would be helpful."

"Hmph…she had short purple hair, and wore an explorer's outfit-"

"That's Nodoka! She's the only person who'd fit that description!"

"This Nodoka's one of your friends?" Scott asked.

"Yes!" she replied quickly.

"So we're finally on the right track!" Dawn cheered.

"But are we sure it's her?" Khoury wondered. "Paul has no idea what your friend looks like." Chisame pulled out her laptop.

"This is where this comes in handy." On the main screen, she pulled up a class roster of Mahora Academy Middle School 3-A. In the left side of the roster, on the third row from the top, was a picture of a girl with short hair that was a deep shade of purple. Some of the hair fell in front of her face. Chisame showed the computer to Paul. "Does this look like her?"

"Yes."

"Then we've got our direction!" Ash declared. "The Ruins of Alph, here we come!" Yue had already left. "Huh? Yue, wait!" Ash ran out after the purplette.

"Not again!" Brock laughed. He was about to head out after him (as the others did)…

"Aren't you forgetting some Pokemon?" Paul noted.

"R-Right. Nurse Joy?"

"Yes!" She hurried into the back, and retrieved the Pokeballs. "I used Full Restore to speed up the healing process. Good luck!"

"Thanks!" The breeder turned and ran out the exit after everyone. "Hold on, everyone!"

Yue couldn't stop. _"Nodoka…hang on. I'm coming!"_

* * *

"Slow down!" Asuna called out. "Do you have any idea how heavy this sword is?"

"If we slow down, we'll miss the chance to capture Mew!" Duplica called back.

"We're nearing a clearing now!" Setsuna noted. The group ran out of the forest, and into the clearing. They came to a halt as soon as everyone was out in the open.

"Woah!" Alyssia gasped.

"There…there it is!" Duplica said. There, in front of them, was the creature they were searching for. Floating above a rock in the center of the clearing was Mew.

"What are you waiting for then?" Chibi-Eva wondered. "Go catch it."

"Right!" Duplica grinned. "Ditto! Mini-Dit! Transform into – !"

"It's glowing!" Negi warned. Before they even had a chance to shield their eyes, Mew suddenly emitted a bright light from its body.

"AGH!"

"Wha-what the heck?-!" Chibi-Eva swore. The light died as soon as it appeared. "It vanished!"

"Mew must have used Teleport or a like attack!" Alyssia presumed. Duplica and her Dittos were depressed.

"Aw, no!" she groaned. "I was so close to battling it!"

"Cheer up!"Asuna offered. The heterochromatic came up from behind, and patted the imitator on the back. "You got to be able to see Mew. I have no idea how rare a Mew is, but it's safe to say that not many people can take that claim, right, Negi?" Negi, however, was nowhere to be found. "Negi?"

"Huh?" Setsuna was concerned. "He was just here a moment ago!"

"Don't tell me that Mew took Negi when the Teleport occurred?-!" Duplica guessed. A deep feeling of worry and guilt overcame the group.

* * *

_For Your Information…_

_Yue was originally supposed to fight and lose to Falkner's Pidgeot after defeating Noctowl._

_The scene with Paul and Yue was originally for the next chapter, but I didn't have enough material for this chapter._

_Well, now Yue is almost about to be reunited with one of her closest friends! But Negi is now missing in action! Will Asuna and her group be able to find their professor? And will there be any complications when Nodoka is found? Only one way to find out! Read, review, check out my other stories, and keep up-do-date on the latest updates through my forum! I promise to be faster in updating next time! Ja ne!_

_-KKid_


	12. Return of the Malevolent King

_Well, we're off break now! And with me getting exempt from finals, I think it's as good a time as ever to break out the first part of a two-step inside of the Battle Pyramid! So sit back, relax, grab some popcorn, and enjoy the show of chapter number dozen!_

* * *

**Chapter XII: Return of the Malevolent King**

Negi slowly regained his sight. Unlike the others, he had not properly shielded his eyes from the bright flash of light. As his eyesight returned, he could see that he was no longer inside the forest, nor was he with Asuna or the others. Instead, he was inside a classroom. The room contained about 35 desks, arranged to face a single teacher's desk and a large chalkboard. Outside a window, a massive tree dominated the landscape below. The board was covered in chalk writing

"This…this is Mahora Academy…" he realized. "Am I back…?"

_No. I just wanted to communicate with you in an environment that you were comfortable with. _One of the windows opened, allowing Mew to fly into the classroom. The Pokemon came to hover just above the desk, facing Negi.

"Mew…" The Psychic legendary giggled.

_You really did pay attention when that girl was talking. As expected of the Child of the Thousand Master. _The child mage was caught off-guard.

"H-Huh? You know my father?"

_Of course. Anyone related to the Radiant Magi warranted investigation, especially since the legend is incomplete._

"What legend?"

_A legend that foretells the betrayal and destruction of our world as we know it. Much of the message is lost to history, but the remaining parts concern the Chosen One of later legends, and this Radiant Magi that we know virtually nothing about. However, based on what Celebi hinted, and what we know from both the Legend of the Chosen One and information gathered at the Shinjo Ruins, the Radiant Magi is a girl, who uses magic from your world…most likely, she's one of the people in your class._

"M-My class? Wait…" Negi thought on what he and some of his students had to ordeal in the last week-plus. "Then you were the ones who sent us here, no, you even sent us into the past!"

_Please understand when I say that this is necessary for our survival, and maybe even yours. I wouldn't expect that a legend involving a being from another world would not have a twin in the world of the other being. Anyway, are you forgetting something?_

"No, I've been thinking about who it might be for a while now…" He looked inside a drawer on his desk. As he expected, there was a class roster and a pen. The child mage placed the roster on his desk. "You sent us here with the purpose of finding this Radiant Chosen, so it couldn't be anybody who weren't with us in the glass sphere…" He crossed off most of the students. "…and Kaede, Setsuna, Chisame, Ku Fei, and Asuna have no interest in learning magic…" More names were stricken. "…and God save the world if Haruna or Eva were supposed to save it…" Two more names removed. "That leaves…"

_Nodoka Miyazaki, Yue Ayase, and Konoka Konoe. Two who are learning magic from the beginning, one who has tremendous potential, one who is devoted to magic, and one who is completely infatuated with you. _Negi turned beet red.

"H-Hey! Just how much research did you have to do?-!"

_Enough to know about your complex love multi-gon. You should be lucky, Negi. Some guys would kill to be in the position that you're in._

"Yeah, but those guys aren't in line to get fired if they are discovered to be a mage..."

* * *

The Ruins of Alph are a myriad of caverns and underground structures, tunneling for miles on end in all directions. The Ruins are famous for complicated puzzles, written in Unown hieroglyphics. The puzzles range from jigsaw puzzles of ancient Pokemon, to required actions, like the use of a certain move or even the presence of a certain Pokemon, to open new rooms. Due to the unstable geology of the ground, digging new tunnels is prohibited, making the process of exploration painstakingly slow. At some times, discoveries are made on a weekly basis; other times the ruins have gone over a year without a new discovery.

In one of the ruins was an archaeological group of the Battle Pyramid, led by the famed archaeologist and Battle Frontier Pyramid King Brandon. A man of tall stature and bulky build, he wore a green long-sleeved jacket with a red collar and large white buttons, green capris, and black hiking boots. Thick brown hair was held above his black eyes and stern face.

Brandon was on the right side of a puzzle ruin, monitoring the progress of the one who was solving it. A girl, who was no more than fifteen years old, shifted the granite panels on a rock wall as if it was a jigsaw puzzle. She had on a khaki exploration outfit complete with brown boots, shorts, and a long-sleeved shirt with a red ascot. She had short purple hair with long front bangs and shoulder-length side bangs. A cowlick stuck up from the front of her hair, and curved to her left. Round, violet eyes stuck out from underneath her bangs.

"…And that's the last one!" She declared, moving the last panel into place.

"Hurry!" Brandon urged. The girl scooted to the side to join Brandon. A second later, the floor opened up where the girl was standing, revealing a staircase. "Since you were the one to solve the puzzle, Nodoka, would you like to lead us down there?" The girl nodded.

"Y-Yes." Her voiced hinted that she was a little unnerved by the trap door almost taking her into the inky darkness, but the purplette took out a flashlight, and led the two into the unknown. They didn't go far before they reached a large room. Brandon took out his flashlight, aiding Nodoka in scanning the room. One object was on the floor: a stone tablet with a variety of hieroglyphics carved on one side.

Brandon picked up the tablet, and began studying it. "Amazing! This tablet describes the life of the lost leader of the Alph people! This is an exceptional discovery!" Nodoka became flustered.

"A-Ah yes! Yes it is!"

"You truly have no idea what you just discovered, Nodoka! Once we analyze the Unown Hieroglyphics, we may be able to piece together several missing pieces of ancient history!"

"W-We will?"

"Yes! Now, if I can ask you a favor, can you bring the tablet on board the Battle Pyramid? I'm still needed here in order to supervise the rest of the archaeological dig, so I can't go back just yet." Nodoka nodded.

"Yes!" Brandon handed her the tablet.

"Just be careful not to break it."

"I won't!" Nodoka walked towards the exit, cradling the tablet in her arms. Just before she exited the room, she nearly ran into a person who was coming down the stairs from the upper chamber. "Oh! E-Excuse me!" The purplette hurried away.

"Man, oh man, Brandon!" the woman stated. "Seems like our co-workers are beating us by the age." The women was in her mid-forties, and had fluffy teal hair that, if laid straight, would reach her waist. Unlike any of the other people in the Johto region, she had dark brown skin and teal eyes. She wore a khaki exploration outfit with a red and crème headband, and spoke with a homely accent.

"Lenora, weren't you the one to suggest to Nodoka that she should apply herself to archaeology for the moment?"

"Mm-hm! And it's paying off big-time for us. And for her, too."

"Yes. She's pushing her mind away from the problems that she alleges to have." Lenora looked back at the entrance to the room.

"I believe her, you know. About her being from a different world." Brandon raised an eyebrow.

"You do? With what proof?" Lenora put her right pointer finger to her head.

"Women's intuition, Brandon. A women's intuition."

* * *

Ash, Yue, and company trundled along the forest path that led between Violet City and the Ruins of Alph. The group had unconsciously segregated off into three distinct groups. Ash, Dawn, and Scott explained to Chamo about the ins and outs of Pokemon battles and contests. Brock, Khoury, and Chisame were in the middle, discussing the differences between their two worlds. Finally, Lyra, who had wanted to join the discussion on battles, had been pulled all the way to the rear of the group by Yue. Pikachu, who had been riding on Ash's head, turned around as the purplette was doing this, and hopped from person to person until he was on her shoulder.

"Come on, Yue!" Lyra complained. "I wanna give my thoughts on battling to your Furret friend [Chamo: It's Ermine, sister!]! Besides, wouldn't you want to get tips and tricks from Ash on how to-?"

"How much do you love Ash, Lyra?" The question was put out so bluntly, Lyra at first didn't register the question. Quickly, however, the brunette analyzed what Yue had said.

"Hwah?-!" She pulled Yue back further behind the others. "W-What are you talking about?-!"

"Kachu…"

"Don't act dumb, Lyra. I saw you during Ash's battle against Thorton in the Battle Factory."

* * *

"_Seems like my Ash got a good chance at out-running Thorton!" Lyra cheered. This got everyone's attention._

"_Your Ash?" Yue questioned._

"_Ay…um…"_

* * *

Lyra scratched the back of her head. "Oh…guess I did say that…hahaha…"

"Yes you did. I thought you would be more affectionate to Khoury. After all, the two of you have been travelling around with each other for some time now, and based on my personal observations, the more one is attracted to them."

"Eh…he…Khoury's just…not my time, you could say." Lyra stared off into the sky. "Ash is cool, and kind, and always knows how to act when things get tough. You could say that in my heart, he's already a Pokemon master." She turned back to Yue. "Khoury…well, he's just Khoury. Nothing special about that kid at all, aside from his knowledge of Pokemon."

"But isn't that enough?"

"Huh?"

"Pi?"

"I used to think nothing of a certain person who I always saw daily, just like you. I didn't care about him at first. The only thoughts I gave about him were about school and my friend's affections for him. However, as time went on, I became attracted to him as well, without my knowledge. That person subconsciously became the person that I was attracted to the most. Even though it did take a pervert for me to realize that…"

"Hi-CHOO!-!"

"Gesundheit, Chamo," Brock noted. He turned around, and saw that Yue, Lyra, and Pikachu had been lagging behind. "Hey, you three! We'll be leaving you behind if you don't speed the pace up!"

"Yeah!" Ash called back. "Come on!"

"Alright, Ashy!" Lyra responded. [Ash: 'Ashy'?]

"Don't worry," Yue assured Lyra.

"Huh?"

"No one else will know about this conversation, or what I know." The purplette sped up in order to catch up with the rest of the group.

"Hm…" Lyra quickly hurried up as well. "Subconscious attraction, huh…"

* * *

Nodoka walked into the display room of the Battle Pyramid. The room was pristine, with a bright red carpet that lasted throughout the elongated floor plan. Clear display cases were situated on top of sandstone-colored pillars, which were lined up in a neat row throughout the room. Most of the display cases were full, containing treasures of the Pyramid King's past expeditions.

"Let's see…" Nodoka walked past several full cases as she looked for an empty one. "Millennium Puzzle…Ocarina…Shikon Jewel…Statue of Undine…ah! Here we go!" The purplette found an empty display case to place the tablet. She removed the glass case, and placed the tablet onto the display. The glass case was replaced above the display, and the tablet was in position on the pillar.

"There! I'd better get back to the ruins." As she headed back towards the exit, something made her turn back towards the exhibits. Her gaze wandered towards a stone Pokeball. The artifact had fallen off its display, and was resting against the glass case.

"That's odd; wasn't that artifact on its mount before?" Nodoka approached the display. "Brandon did say that the Battle Pyramid can fly, so maybe it was knocked over by the travels." She removed the case, and picked up the Pokeball. It was the exact size of the modern Pokeballs that Brandon and Paul had used earlier in the day.

Something seemed to be calling out to her to hold the stone Pokeball up high, like she was releasing a Pokemon. It wasn't a one-sided idea; during Paul's challenge, the purplette had wanted to replace either he or Brandon for one round, and take command. However, her timid personality stood in the way. Now, with nobody around…

"A-As long as I'm alone and no one's watching, what's the harm in a little fun?" She went to lift the Pokeball into the air, just as Samuel entered the room. However, Nodoka was facing away from the doorway, and didn't see him. "P-Pokemon, go!"

"Nodoka, are you almost-? No, stop!" Nodoka turned around, instantly embarrassed.

"H-Hwa?-! S-Samuel?" His warning came too late. The Pokeball began to shake violently, enough so that Nodoka had to drop the artifact. It hit the floor hard, but did not break.

"**Light, come forth from the darkness!**"

"W-Wha-? HWAH!-!" A dark energy suddenly burst out of the release button of the stone Pokeball, and enveloped Nodoka. The purplette struggled against the darkness, eventually crumpling to the ground. The darkness briefly disappeared from her body.

"N-Nodoka!" Samuel gasped. He went over to her limp body, and began shaking her body. "Please, are you alright? Nodoka!"

Suddenly, the dark energy returned, bursting out from Nodoka's body in a wave of darkness. The wave was so powerful, that Samuel was knocked back several feet, and the glass casings around the artifacts shattered, sending glass raining down onto the floor.

Nodoka stood up, not using anything to help her get off the floor. She faced away from Samuel for a few seconds, before turning back around. Her large, violet eyes were no more, replaced by thin, black slits. Her hair was also more ruffled, with a few loose ends seeming to be more pointed. Probably the most notable feature was the dark blue aura that now surrounded and enveloped her entire body.

"N-Nodoka?-!" Samuel sputtered, unsure of who this person was anymore.

"**No."** The voice was of an old, gruff male. **"But it is good to be back."**

* * *

Brandon entered another cavern inside the ruin complex. This chamber had no stone panel, but instead had Unown hieroglyphics. The Frontier Brain carefully read the inscription, taking note of each letter into detail.

"B…l…a…s…t…B...u…r…n. So, this ruin will open up when a Pokemon uses Blast Burn. I'll have to place a call in to-" He suddenly stopped. Something felt off, completely wrong. He turned around, towards the exit, just as his phone began to ring. "Hello?"

"_Brandon! Nodoka's taken out the Stone Pokeball!" _Brandon's eyes went wide in horror.

"She what?-!"

"_Yes! She's now-GAH!"_

"Samuel! Samuel!"

"_TKBCECIOGCUCO-_Click!" Brandon cringed as Samuel's phone was smashed. He immediately shut the phone, and rushed out of the ruin. The other archaeologists were surprised at their leader's sudden hurry.

"Yo, Brandon! What's the rush?"

"No time, Lenora! I'm leaving you in charge of the operation!" Brandon ran off into the woods, towards the Battle Pyramid. Lenora sighed, placing a hand on her hip.

"Wonder what's up with him…?"

* * *

Haruna suddenly stood up and looked around. She and Gary were patrolling the area around Zapdos's camp, and had stopped to have lunch on top of the mountain peak where the two had first met.

"Something up, Haruna?" Gary asked.

"Something doesn't feel right," she murmured.

"It might be the wind," he offered, but he didn't sound convincing.

"You don't believe that, do you?"

"You're good at catching lies. But yes, I also feel that something's amiss. Where something's going wrong is beyond be." Haruna sighed, and looked down towards the encampment below.

"I just hope my friends are okay," she said quietly.

"Yeah, same here."

* * *

Pikachu's ears suddenly perked up. "Pi?"

"Huh?" his trainer wondered. "What's up, Pikachu?" Chamo was also searching for something in the environment.

"You feel something, too?" Chisame asked.

"It's not just those two," Scott noted. "Look at the Pokemon." In the forest, Pokemon were beginning to run off in several directions. A green caterpillar hopped out of a tree, landed on Lyra's head, and jumped to the ground, continuing its journey as if there hadn't been any interruption at all. Lyra acted in the opposite way.

"Ah!" she squeaked.

"Calm down, Lyra!" Khoury urged. "It's only a Caterpie."

"It's a Caterpie that touched ME!" she complained.

"They're all heading away from the Ruins of Alph," Yue observed.

"I've got a bad feeling about this…" Dawn shuddered. "Can we go back and come after we know what's going on?" Scott disagreed.

"We're too close to the Battle Pyramid to turn back now," he stated. "Turning back would only put us in with the other Pokemon that are fleeing."

"Fleeing is the word," Khoury agreed.

"Let's head to the Battle Pyramid, and meet up with Brandon," Brock suggested. "He'll know what to do."

"Right!" The group continued on, hurrying their pace so that they could get to their destination faster.

"It's times like this where I wish that we had a ride to get us there faster!" Dawn grumbled.

"Be my guest if you want to cram everyone into the backseat of your world's most reckless driver!" Chisame responded.

* * *

Mew suddenly jerked her head to the side, looking into the blanche expanse. Her face expressed her concern.

"What's the matter?" Negi asked.

_Something's just been released into the world that shouldn't be, _Mew conveyed. _It has the chance to jeopardize the lives of not only the Radiant Magi, but also the Chosen One and his companions. _She turned her head back towards Negi. _I'm sorry, but this I all that I'm allowed to tell you. I'm needed elsewhere now._

"Wait, Mew!"

_Goodbye, Negi Springfield. We will most certainly meet again at some point. _Mew began to fade into the white background, disappearing from his view.

"Mew!" The white expanse grew brighter, once again blinding the child teacher. It then dimmed down, fading back into reality…

"Negi! Dammit, Negi! WAKE UP!-!" …which was Asuna violently shaking his actual body back in forth in an attempt to wake him up. It took less than a second for a groggy child mage to get something akin to whiplash.

"A-Asuna! I-I'm here! Stop!" She did, by calling forth her Harisen and slapping Negi into the nearest tree. Asuna's eyes were red and watery.

"Y-You idiot!" she shouted. "Do you have any idea how worried we were for you?-!" Negi peeled himself off of the tree, and turned to face the group. Setsuna and Duplica had relieved looks on their faces. Alyssia was still a little solemn. Chibi-Eva had her back turned to everyone.

"I-I'm sorry, Asuna," Negi apologized. "There…there was-"

"You were with that Mew Pokemon," Chibi-Eva interrupted, "weren't you?" Duplica was surprised.

"Huh? Didn't Mew escape from us?" Chibi-Eva nodded.

"It is true that Mew eluded your attempts to capture it, but that doesn't mean that the Pokemon wasn't here. I could still feel that Mew was present around us until just before the boya regained consciousness. I'd assume that you felt that too, Setsuna."

"Yes. Negi, when you were out, did you have any peculiar dreams or visions?" Negi turned directly towards Setsuna.

"I did." The three girls without knowledge of what the statement could mean wore surprised expressions.

"Eh?-!" Alyssia gasped. "You talked with Mew?-!"

"Well, it was more of a telepathic conversation than a dialogue…"

"What did Mew tell you?" Setsuna pressed. Negi's face grew stern.

"We'd better get comfortable here for the time being," he stated. "There's a matter or two in this world that we apparently need to be closely involved in."

* * *

Both the group and Brandon reached the Battle Pyramid at the same time. Scott was the first person to speak. "I'm guessing that you're aware of what's going on as well, Brandon." The Frontier Brain nodded.

"Yes. The King of Pokelantis has been released again." The news shocked Ash, Brock, and Scott.

"You're kidding!" Ash exclaimed.

"Pi-ka!"

"Who's the King of Pokelantis?" Lyra asked. Brock turned towards her.

"**That would be me, you wench!"** Everyone's attention became directed at the entrance to the Battle Pyramid. The King strutted out of the entrance, a sly smirk on her (his?) face.

Yue instantly recognized the body that the King was possessing. "N-Nodoka!"

"No it isn't!" Chisame said. "Something's not right about her…"

"She's possessed!" Dawn exclaimed.

"**Quite perceptive, for a bunch of women,"** the King sneered. **"This girl was kind enough to release me from my prison, and as payment, I allowed her the opportunity to have me taking over her body!"**

"Who would like to be stripped of their free will?" Brandon growled. "Release her now!"

"Pi-ka-CHUU!-!" Pikachu fired a Thunderbolt attack at the King. The King waved his right hand over his head. The Thunderbolt struck a bluish-black barrier of aura that appeared in front of the King's hand, and dissipated, never touching the King's body. Pikachu was taken off guard by the barrier. "Pi-ka?-!"

"**Did you think that I wouldn't learn from our last encounter, rodent? In the time since we last met, my powers have grown considerably. I will not let myself be done in by a simple electric attack this time!"**

"What was that about?" Chamo whispered to Brock.

"The last time we saw the spirit of the King, he took control of Ash's body," the Pokemon breeder told her. "We were able to release his grip by shocking Ash with electricity. However, it appears that he's become much stronger than before."

"**That's not the only thing that's changed with me."** He took out cloth out of his pocket, and unfurled it towards the ground. A stream of clay rock and rubble fell out of the cloth. **"They certainly do make things much better than they used to nowadays, especially prisons."**

"You destroyed the stone Pokeball that imprisoned you!" Brandon gasped.

"**Quite right, King of the Pyramid. Now, nobody can stop me, especially with a body that is as unsuspecting as this one. Once I enslave you and your servants, I shall begin my conquest of the world, in the name of the legendary Pokemon Ho-Oh!"**

"Not if I stop you first!"

"**With what, a measly Pokemon battle? Face me and lose? In my current form, even you would crumble under my might! But I will cut you a deal IF you give me all of your Pokemon."** Rather expectedly, this was a demand nobody was willing to give in to.

"No way!" Brandon shouted.

"Our Pokemon are our lives!" Brock argued. "We can't just give them up as we please!"

"**Then what will it be?"** The King's mouth formed a seductive smile. **"Your lives of the life of your friend?"** The spirit placed one hand on his hip, and the other on his chest. The hand on her chest gradually began to lower, hugging the contours of his body as he went. **"This seems like the body of a rather innocent young girl. It would be a shame if she took the liberty to…change the nature of her innocence, if you get what I mean?"**

"You wouldn't!" Yue blurted out. The others quickly understood what the King was implying.

"That's just…" Khoury couldn't even put it into words. "You can't do that to a person!"

"**And you see your friend coming to stop me?" the King sneered. "Give me your Pokemon, or I will!"** The group looked at each other, without a clear-cut idea of how to proceed. Brandon was still ready to take on the King, but given the circumstances, he was unwilling to say so. The others were also unwilling to speak; without a way of sealing the King, there was no way of permanently removing the Spirit from their friend's body.

Ash then looked at Yue. The bibliomaniac, usually expressionless, had tears welling up in her eyes. Her face had the look of despair, as if nothing in the world could save her friend.

"Yue…"

"**No answer, peasants? Let me help your decision, then!" **The King's hand moved further downward.

"Wait." The hand stopped. It returned to the side of his body. The Spirit looked up, turning his head to spot a familiar raven-haired trainer.

"**I remember you,"** he said. **"You were my first host, the one who was rash and arrogant, only wanting to meet Ho-oh."**

"That may be true, but that was a year ago." Ash opened up his arms. "Get out of her body, and you can have mine, along with all of my Pokemon."

"Ash!" Brock gasped.

"What are you thinking?-!" Brandon asked. "Is your head clouded up with saving a friend of a friend?"

"Maybe it is, but it is the only choice right now. Do you guys have any ideas that are better?"

"Maybe not," Lyra admitted, "but none of them involve giving up someone's soul!"

"**But it is a wise choice, considering the alternative." **The aura around th King intensified, as the wind began to pick up.

"Hold up, Spirit!" Ash ordered. The wind instantly died down. "You can have everything I've offered you, but only if you defeat me in a battle! And if you lose, you're going to have to find a body other than Nodoka's to inhabit!"

"That means that either way, the King will have to find another body!" Scott stated.

"Ash really did plan this out for once!" Dawn acknowledged. Yue stared blankly at Ash, rubbing her eyes so that the tears disappeared.

"**I don't really care what body I'm in," **the King said. **"Only the most powerful body is fitting of my spirit. Since your body has readily available Pokemon, it's much more deserving than this girl's is. I accept your challenge in the form of a four-on-four match**!**"**

* * *

"Long ago," Brandon began, "there was a nation known as Pokelantis, ruled by a greedy and tyrannical King. The King sought to become the ruler of the entire world, and to do that, he needed the power of Ho-oh, the legendary Phoenix Pokemon. Ho-oh, however, saw the King's desire as greed and evil, and refused to lend any power to the King. Furious, the King tried to capture Ho-oh with force, but failed, and as punishment, the nation of Pokelantis was destroyed. However, the King sealed his soul inside of a stone Pokeball, in the hopes that one day he could return and capture the Phoenix."

"Fast forward to less than a year ago," Brock continued, "when myself, Ash, and May and Max, a sister-brother tandem from Hoenn, stumbled into some ruins north of Pewter City. Ash was separated from the others, and came across the stone Pokeball. Thinking that it contained Ho-oh, he called out to it, only to get possessed by the King."

"Brandon challenged the King to a battle in order to bring out the one thing that could suppress the King's nature," Scott added. "By taunting and overpowering Sceptile, he was able to get Ash's competitive nature enough to allow him to order Pikachu to shock him, releasing the spirit. Brandon then resealed the spirit inside of the stone Pokeball before he could possess anyone."

"But now he's back," Brock finished darkly. "And now we have no way to seal him back up." The group was waiting inside the Battle Pyramid's indoor stadium. Ash and the King weren't currently inside the arena at the moment.

"None that are indigenous to your world," Chamo grinned. Out of seemingly nowhere, he took out a small, clear glass bottle, similar to one that would be found inside a laboratory. The bottle had a hexagram printed onto a small section of the side of the bottle.

"Uh, aside from asking where that came from, what is that?" Khoury asked.

"It's a sealing spell bottle," Yue stated. "Didn't we use one against those slime girls from a few weeks ago in Mahora?" The ermine nodded.

"This is one I ordered over MagiNet after that fight, since we couldn't defeat that demon with the first bottle full."

"So, what does the bottle do?" Dawn wondered.

"It does what it says, Dawn," Chamo said. "If we can draw the spirit outside of Nodoka's body, and open this bottle when we're close enough to that Spirit, that bottle can plug up that spirit like a hole in, well, a bottle."

"So there might be a way of getting rid of that King for good!" Brandon exclaimed.

"But I fear that the only way we're going to get to that point is for Ash to defeat the King good," Brock warned. "And from watching his last match, that will be hard."

"Why's that?" Chisame asked. At that time, both Ash and the King came out of the tunnels on either side of the stadium, and took their positions in their respective trainer's boxes.

"The King of Pokelantis is a cheater, who has used underhanded tricks such as using humans as shields, or attacking the roof so that it can fall onto the Pokemon," Scott told them. "This may be one of Ash's toughest fights to date, with the toughest stakes imaginable."

"Ash…" Yue whispered. "Good luck…" Brock got up, and walked over to the referee's stand. Ash and the King were already in position.

"This is a four-on-four battle between Ash Ketchum of Pallet Town and the King of -!"

"**I know who I am and what the rules are!"** the King snapped.

"Er, very well…Trainers, release your Pokemon!"

"Alright, Buizel! Let's show this King how we play things now! Go!" Ash threw the Pokebll, releasing the Sea Weasel Pokemon.

"Bui! Bi"

"Okay, King, now it's your – ah!"

What's wrong, Ash?" Brock asked.

"I just realized that the King doesn't have any Pokemon to fight for him! How can we battle with somebody who has no Pokemon?" The King smirked darkly.

"**Did I ever say that I needed to own any?"** The King raised his right hand, and a blue stream of energy shot out at Lyra's Pokemon belt.

"Ah!" One of the Pokeballs on the belt unhitched from its latch, and flew out at the King. The spirit barehanded the sphere, and presented it towards Ash.

"**I have a Pokemon now, so let's start this match!"**

"Not like that Pokemon's going to listen to you!" Ash pointed out. "As soon as you release the Pokemon, it'll just run right back to Lyra!"

"**Really, now? Let's put that theory to the test now!" **A bluish aura enveloped the hand that held the Pokeball. The King then tossed the Pokeball into the air, releasing a Bayleef.

*BAYLEEF, THE LEAF POKÉMON. THE EVOLVED FORM OF CHIKORITA. BAYLEEF EMITS A SPICY AROMA FROM THE LEAVES AROUND ITS NECK AND ITS RAZOR LEAF IS EXTREMELY POWERFUL*

"So your Chikorita evolved sometime after we left," Dawn said to Lyra.

"Yeah, but look at her eyes!" Bayleef's eyes were a bluish-purple color. The Leaf Pokemon also had a grim snarl on her face. "What did you do to her?-!"

"**She needed a little coercion in order to help the common good, that's all."** Ash glared at his opponent.

"First you take a person under your control, and now you take my friend's Pokemon. It's on now! Buizel, use Ice Punch!"

"But Ash!" Brock said. "I haven't-! Oh, forget it. Begin!" Buizel charged at Bayleef, and struck first with an icy fist, causing massive damage to the Leaf Pokemon. So much, in fact, that she was knocked out instantly.

"**What?-!"**

"Bayleef is unable to battle!" Brock announced. "Round one goes to Buizel!"

"Alright, Buizel!" Ash cheered.

"Bui! Bui!"

"While Bayleef had evolved, it was only recently," Lyra admitted. "So she isn't as strong as the King hoped for."

"Not that we care!" Chamo said with gusto. "If he had used Nodoka's pactio card, he would have known that was the case!"

"SSSHH!-!" Yue and Chisame covered the ermine's mouth.

"**A pactio? Ah, right. I can just search your friend's mind for the answer."** The King paused. **"I see. It has to do with this card in her pocket."** He took out a small card with some writing on it.

"You idiot!" Chisame wrung Chamo like a wet towel. "Do you have any idea what advantage you just gave him over Ash?-!"

"Sowwie!" the ermine cried. "Jest a suowp of the towng!"

"What kind of advantage?" Scott asked.

"Nodoka's Pactio artifact!" Yue answered. "It allows her to read the minds of anyone she wishes!"

"What?-!" the bystanders gasped.

"**Adeat!"** the King cried, holding the Pactio card in his hand. Light burst out of the card, enveloping the room in a brief flash. When the light was gone, the King was holding a standard-sized textbook. The textbook was red, with a black title cover picture, and a white back picture. **"Diaria Ejus Minora tumcogitaiones vestigent de Ash Ketchum!"**

"What did he just say?" Khoury wondered.

"**The words needed to end this battle!"** The King returned Bayleaf into her Pokeball.

"I'll return Buizel for another time!" Ash announced, recalling the Sea Weasel Pokemon. He then threw out another Pokeball. "I choose you,-!"

"**Infernape, right?"**

"Eh?" Sure enough, the Pokeball opened to reveal Infernape.

"In-fer!"

"He was right?-!" Brandon gasped incredulously.

"**And that's only half of it! Now diary, let's find out from these kids who has the Pokemon that can help me the most!" **The king scanned the group in the stands, holding the diary out in front of him. **"Ah, I see. Brandon, your Regirock will do!"**

"Not on your life!" The King shot out a stream of dark energy out at Brandon's Pokemon belt, stealing Regirock's Pokeball. "Ah!"

"**You don't have a choice in the matter! Now at my side, Regirock!" **A giant brown and orange rock golem took the King's side of the field. Ash gritted his teeth.

'_With the Spirit's Pokemon-controlling powers, and Nodoka's mind-reading powers, this is going to be one tough duel!'_

"**Hahaha! Ash, you don't stand a chance when I can predict and react to your every move!"**

* * *

"Hey!" Meowth yelled. "Why ain't we in dis chapter!" James pushed him to the bottom of the screen, out of sight.

"Pipe down, will you?-!" he ordered. "I don't know about you, but I don't want to have any part of that king?"

"Point taken, Jimmy," Jessie noted.

* * *

_For Your Information…_

_Anyone guess the guest appearances in Brandon's collection?_

_Team Rocket needed a cameo, even if it was a brief one, to log in an appearance this chapter._

_So now Ash is in a really tough predicament, and is rearing up for the challenge. Can he win with the king knowing every single move he thinks? Or will he succumb to the Spirit of the King? Read, review, and stay tuned for more! Ja ne!_

_-KKid_


	13. Rock Bottom, Frozen Finish?

_Well…this is lucky number thirteen…let's see how this turns out. And I have some Anynom comments I have to address, so the Review Corner makes a comeback!_

From Argorok: A job well done, please update again soon

From KKid: Thanks!

From Guest:

Crogunk isn't blue and white he is purple also the region is Sinnoh not Sinjoh so fix all your mistakes the next time you update this.

It's Johto not Jotho you moron also Infernape is orange not brown. P.s. you were right about croagunk's coloring.

90 more chapters I've read h.p books that had less chapters than that

Paul is so gonna appear next.

From KKid:

You corrected the first part in your next point. But if you look, and the others can vouch for this, it is Sinjoh. As in the Sinjoh Ruins for the Arceus event.

Infernape is stated as being orange-brown. I was already given the correct spelling a lot of times (Thanks again, Pete!). And please refrain from calling me a moron or anything worse. I will delete all reviews by you if you are rude to me again.

Uhhh…what is your point?

Gee, no really?

From Matt:

Okay first Alyssia was a ghost which meant she couln't get hurt now she's alive and can get hurt?

2 Questions: 1. Will Ku appear soon? and 2. Which Unova Pokemon will appear first?

From KKid:

Treat her as the same as Sayo.

Ku will be the next character from MSN to appear, but not before Yue gets a few badges under her belt. And Unova Pokemon won't appear for a WAY long time. As in after we know where everybody is.

_So with that now out of the way, please enjoy the next chapter! See you at the bottom!_

* * *

**Chapter XIII: Rock Bottom, Frozen Finish?**

To review, his Pokemon was an Infernape. He was up by one Pokemon against his opponent, but now he was up against a tough Pokemon, and he had a feeling that it was only going to get worse from now on.

Just another typical day in the live and adventures of Ash Ketchum.

His opponent had a Legendary Pokemon out against him, in this case, a Regirock. While Infernape's Fighting-Type moves would do decent damage against it, Fire-Type moves wouldn't do much, and he had to worry about its best combination, Lock-on and Hyper Beam.

Yep, still a typical day in the life of Ash Ketchum.

His opponent was the spirit of an ancient ruler, who had the power to control any Pokemon, and was inhabiting the body of a young teenaged girl. Oh, and that same girl had a magic book that could read the minds of anyone that the user wished. Which was currently him at the moment.

Okay, now we're in the realm of abnormality, even for him.

"Infernape, start out with Mach Punch!"

**"Regirock, Iron Defense!"** The round started off in a flash. Infernape made a quick charge at Regirock, ready to make a quick jab. The Rock Peak Pokemon braced itself with its rocky arms, a glimmering shine forming on its body. The Mach Punch attack connected, but did little in the way of causing significant damage to Regirock.

"No good, huh?" Ash grunted, as Infernape fell back to a safer distance.

**"And now, use Stone Edge!"** The floor of the Battle Pyramid began to tremble, and parts of the battlefield suddenly broke away, and floated into the air. They hovered for a few seconds, suspended, before flying straight at Infernape.

"Watch out!" Ash warned. "Use Dig to get out of there!" The Flame Pokemon began to furiously dig into the ground. By the time the Stone Edge attack reached him, Infernape was already well into the ground. However, the stones suddenly went _into_ the hole, following Infernape. "No, Infernape! Get out of there!"

**"Too late!"** The King of Pokelantis stated. Infernape exploded out of the ground in a flurry of dust, rocks, and flames, seriously hurt from the attack. He flopped onto the rough earth of the field, and took a few seconds to get up. **"You forget so easily, Ash Ketchum!"** He held up the _Diarium Ejus._ Its pages were filled with cartoon images of the battle, along with Ash's actual thoughts as they were happening.** "With the power of your friend's Pokemon and this girl's magical properties, I am unstoppable!"**

Ash gritted his teeth. This hadn't been the opening gambit of the round; the two trainers had been going at it for the last several minutes. As Regirock was a tougher opponent, it took a lot of hits in order to damage it slightly. However, with the King in possession of the diary, he had been able to predict all of the moves that Ash was planning, and was easily countering them. Infernape was already exhausted before that last hit; now, it looked like the round may be over without even so much as a scratch on Regirock.

In the front row of the stadium, Yue watched the fight unfold. Her stomach was tied up into knots over this. Her best friend was under the control of some malevolent force from thousands of years ago, and now was battling her newest friend, who was doing this to save Nodoka. He was risking his own life and body for hers.

If she hadn't been through Kyoto a few months ago, she would have considered it ludicrously.

"Is there any way around that mind-reading diary?" Khoury asked Chamo. The ermine was sweating bullets. "Chamo?"

"Well…I guess maybe if one was deaf…" he replied. "Even if the user asks for your name, you don't have to even bother replying to it; it'll just appear in the book! That diary, in this world, is probably the deadliest and most powerful artifacts one can have."

"So there isn't any way around it," Chisame sighed, defeated. "Can we just go back to a normal journey? One without evil demons and such?"

"Ash will just have to figure out a way of getting around that diary," Brandon determined. "He will have to win without thinking."

"Pika…" Pikachu sadly agreed with him. Scott had a thought.

"Doesn't Yue know some magic attacks?" he asked. "Y'know…like the ones she used back in Pallet Town?" Lyra and Khoury were surprised to learn about this side of Yue.

"I know you come from a world of magic, but I never knew that you could use any, Yue!" Lyra said in amazement. The purplette jumped slightly, and shook her head,

"T-That was a one-time deal…" she explained. "I've yet to figure out how to repeat it…"

"Oh…" Khoury sighed. "So we're back to square one then…"

"Seems that way…" Dawn stated. Yue returned her focus onto the battlefield.

'_Ash…I thank you for doing this…but don't lose yourself over a situation that we can't control…'_ Suddenly, the battle flow changed drastically.

**"Use Hyper Beam, Regirock!"** Regirock charged up a blast of bright yellowish-orange energy in between its arms. The ball of energy grew larger and larger. Ash grew concerned.

'_If that attack hits, Infernape's finished!'_ "Infernape, jump!"

**"Fire!"** The Flame Pokemon leapt into the air, just as the Hyper Beam attack fired. The fleet-footed Infernape was too fast for Regirock to compensate; even as the Pokemon raised the angle of attack, the only thing the Rock Peak Pokemon succeeded in doing was punch a hole into the side of the Pyramid. Sunlight streamed through the hole, which was big enough to fit a bus, as bits of metal and plaster fell onto the empty seats across from where Scott was sitting.

"That's coming out of my wallet…" he lamented.

"Do not fret, Scott," Brandon assured him. "With Hyper Beam, now Ash can get in a free attack; Regirock needs time to recharge."

"Really?" That was music to Chamo's ears. "Aw-right! Go knock some socks, Ash!"

"With pleasure! Infernape, use Flamethrower!" The Flame Pokemon, still falling from its dodge, unleashed a torrent of flamed that engulfed the Rock-Type Pokemon. It didn't do much damage, nor was it able to burn, but that at least got Ash on the board. Something perplexed the raven-haired trainer, however.

'_That's odd…why didn't he have Regirock use Lock-On…that would have guaranteed that Hyper Beam would have struck…unless he doesn't know about it!'_ He then realized something else, and slapped his face in frustration. _'Great job, Ash! Why not yell it out for the entire world, why don't ya?'_ The king smiled viciously, enough so to make Yue cringe.

**"Thank you, Ash, for that wonderful information!"** He pointed towards Infernape. "Regirock, use Lock-on!"

A sonar-like wave of red light emanated from Regirock in all directions. When the beam struck Infernape, it did no damage. However, it did leave a red mark, shaped like the target for a sniper, on Infernape's head. The natives of Mahora were confused.

"What did that accomplish?" Chisame asked Khoury.

"A lot more than you would think," he replied. "Lock-on makes sure that the next attack launched by the user hits."

"And with Regirock housing a Hyper Beam attack…" Lyra started.

"…Infernape's roasted next attack!" Chamo finished.

**"Hyper Beam!"** the King ordered. Regirock again charged the deadly attack up. Ash gritted his teeth together.

"We're not ending without a fight!" he vowed. "Infernape, Flare Blitz attack!"

"FER!" The Flame Pokemon became enveloped completely in the flames on its body. With blinding speed, he flew across the stadium ground, striking Regirock in a flurry of fire. The force of the attack actually made the Rock Peak Pokemon slide back a few inches.

"More progress!" Dawn cheered.

**"Fire!"** At point-blank range, Regirock let loose its Hyper Beam attack. Infernape was sent flying across the field. Ash didn't need a referee to tell him that his Pokemon was knocked out…or that the ensuing fall could seriously injure him. He quickly had out Infernape's Pokeball in his hand.

"Infernape, return!" In a flash of red light, Infernape disappeared. "Brock, I'm withdrawing Infernape; he's too injured to continue." The Pokemon breeder nodded.

"Right. Ash has withdrawn Infernape from the match! Therefore, Regirock wins the round by default!"

**"You coward,"** the King mocked. Ash got ticked off.

"What did you call me?-!"

**"Infernape still had energy left to take me on. Yet you run with your tail between your legs, and recall him."** Ash grabbed Buizel's Pokeball.

"Unlike you, I know that every Pokemon has its limits, even Regirock! Buizel, show him what I mean!" The Sea Weasel Pokemon returned for another round.

"Bui! Bui!"

**"I'll amuse you, and stay in with Regirock,"** the King said mockingly. **"It's not like you can score a hit against him."**

"We'll see!" Ash challenged. "Buizel, use Water Pulse!" Buizel created a ball of water between his paws. The Sea Weasel Pokemon raised the sphere over his head, and flew it onto the ground. The sphere careened towards Regirock at a tremendous speed.

**"Regirock, Iron Defense!"** Like with Mach Punch, Regirock's body hardened into a steel-like state. However, when the Water Pulse connected, Regirock was practically bowled over, suprising the King. **"What?-!"**

"Iron Defense only works on physical attacks," Ash pointed out. "A special attack like Water Pulse doesn't get blocked by Iron Defense. But I thought a true king would know that." A scowl appeared on the King's face.

**"No matter, hmph!"** Regirock was, by this time, back up, albeit on one knee. **"We'll use Lock-on, then!"**

"Not again!" Chamo groaned. For a second time, the red target appeared on a Pokemon, this time Buizel.

**"And now, Hyper Beam!"** Regirock began gathering the energy to unleash its most devastating attack once again. Ash, however, wasn't impressed by the reuse of the stragety.

"Buizel, get up against the wall!" Buizel looked back at his trainer in confusion. "Quickly!" The Sea Weasel Pokemon wasn't sure what Ash was trying to do, until he looked at the wall.

"Bui…Buizel!" Buizel ran over to the wall, turning to face Regirock only once his back was against the wall.

"Isn't Buizel technically out of the ring?" Lyra asked.

"When you're up against the King of Pokelantis, you're using the entire room," Scott explained. "The ceiling, the lights…even the crowd in some instances." Dawn and Chisame gasped at the last part.

"The crowd?-!" the blunette asked, getting a nod.

"Still, I don't see how whatever Ash is doing will have any good to him," Brandon stated, puzzled. "Unless…" Brock was reaching the same conclusion.

'_Of course!'_ he thought. _'That's got to be it!'_

**"It doesn't matter how far you back up!"** the King declared, uncaring for Ash's maneuver.** "Hyper Beam will still hit its target. Regirock, fire!"** The blast of energy fired from the Rock Peak Pokemon, and aimed straight for Buizel.** "Hahahaha! Your Buizel will become my next fur coat!"** Out of the corner of his eye, the King noticed that a page in the diary was being rewritten. It contained a picture of Ash, smiling the biggest grin of the entire battle as he held up a peace sign.

"It can't hit if it can't go through something."

"Buizel, jump now!" At Ash's command, Buizel jumped high in the sky. The Hyper Beam attack struck through the wall, but hit something solid, and would not curve around again.

He had broken through Lock-on.

* * *

What Ash didn't know was that the solid object wasn't the storage room he had been hoping for. It was, in fact, on the complete opposite side of the room. What he had hit was Team Rocket's latest mecha. The trio had been about to bust through the wall, ready to make their grand entrance, when they were blindsided by the Hyper Beam attack. Now, they were sailing off into the distant sky, becoming a fading memory.

"TEAM ROCKET"S BLASTING OFF WITH LITTLE MENTION!-!"

"WOBBU-WAAAA!-!"

*Ping!

* * *

"Is something wrong, sister?" Chamo asked. Lyra shook her head.

"No," the brunette said. "I thought I heard something, that's all."

"Good! Because now this stuff's about to get real!" The ermine returned focus towards the battle.

**"Impossible!"** The King gasped in astonishment. **"There's no way you could have dodged that!**" Ash smirked.

"I just did! Buizel, use Water Gun!"

"BUI!" A stream of water shot out of the Sea Weasel Pokemon's mouth, drenching Regirock. The Rock Peak Pokemon was knocked over again. The Hyper Beams and Water attacks finally took their toll on the Pokemon. It tumbled to the ground, face-first, and did not get up.

"Regirock is unable to continue!" Brock announced. "Buizel is declared the winner!"

"Great job, Buizel!" Ash cheered. "Come over here!"

"Bui! Bui!" Buizel ran over to its trainer, and jumped into the waiting arms.

"You did great, Buizel. Take a good rest now." Ash recalled Buizel into his Pokeball.

**"No!"** the king bellowed. **"Regirock, stand up and protect your master!"** Brock shot a glare at him.

"Regirock cannot battle in its current condition. Switch out to another Pokemon." The malevolent spirit grunted, and reluctantly replied.

"Pi-Pikachu!" Pikachu cheered from the sidelines.

"Awesome!" Dawn exclaimed. "Ash took out Regirock!"

"Yeah!" Lyra agreed. "Of course, I wouldn't have had a doubt in my mind that this would be the result!"

"But why did Ash recall Buizel?" Chamo wondered. "Man, he was on a roll!" Yue had a hunch.

"Ash doesn't want to be hampered by leaving Buizel in and having to face a Grass or Electric Pokemon," she hypothesized. "That way, at least he can use Buizel's speed when he needs it the most." That was the thinking that Ash had on inside his head.

'_Let's see…I want a Pokemon that can take a lot of hits…maybe a Ground-type would work? Regirock was able to last a long time against Infernape…yes. Donphan should be the best choice!'_ This was, of course, all picked up by the diary.

**"A Donphan, eh? Let's see…"** The king turned to the referee. **"You there! What Pokemon do you have?"**

"Eh? Ay, um…" Brock could only clench his fists as the King read his mind.

**"Ah, this one should do nicely!"** He extended a hand, and a Pokeball from Brock's belt flew into his hand.

"Great," the Pokemon breeder muttered. "Not even the referee is immune from being Pokesnatched…"

**"Watch your toungue!"** the king bellowed. **"I am the ruler of all Pokemon! Marshtomp, to my side!"** At the same time, Ash threw the Pokeball that he had chosen. The King of Pokelantis had chosen a blue bipedal amphibian, with an orange belly and cheeks. It had one fin sticking out of its back, and two out of its waist. Indeed, the Water and Ground Pokemon was a great matchup against Donphan.

"Bayleef!"

Or what the King thought was Donphan.

**"What trickery is this?-!"** he demanded.

"None," Ash remarked, holding his hands up. "I did indeed choose Donphan. At least, the spot on the Pokemon belt that I had his Pokeball in when he was on my active team. That way, it would feel natural to me." Bayleef ran up to Ash, and did a half-Body Slam on its trainer, careful not to knock him over. "Oh, I'm glad to see you too, Bayleef!"

"Bay-Bay!" the Leaf Pokemon chattered gleefully.

"So Ash found a weakness in the Diary!" Chamo realized.

"He turned his greatest obstacle into his ally," Scott noted, clearly impressed. "I guess that time up in the Sinnoh League wasn't just for show, huh Brandon?" The Frontier Brain nodded.

"Perhaps," he said. "Let's see what else young Ash has to show us."

"Begin!"

**"Marshtomp, use Tackle!"**

"Marsh!" Marshtomp rushed towards Bayleef. Anyone in the crowd could see what was coming for the Mud Fish Pokemon.

"Bayleef, Razor Leaf!"

"Bay-EEF!" Bayleef turned its head, then swung it back around. A stream of leaves rushed out against Marshtomp, dealing critical damage to the Mud Fish Pokemon. Marshtomp was able to get up, but it was evident that he would not last long.

**"Use Mud Shot attack!"** Next, Marshtomp tried shooting a stream of mud out of its mouth.

"Dodge it!" Ash ordered. Bayleef feigned to the right, dodging the attack. "Razor Leaf again!"

**"Not this time! Use Protect!"** As the leaves came at Marshtomp, the Mud Fish Pokemon created a protective barrier. The leaves bounced harmlessly off of the barrier.

"Charge at him, Bayleef! Body Slam attack!" Bayleef now charged towards Marshtomp, and bowled straight through the Protect barrier, and knocked the Mud Fish Pokemon to the ground. "Now finish this! Vine Whip!"

"Bayleef!" The Leaf Pokemon unleashed a pair of vines out of her leaf collar, and proceeded to whip Marshtomp into submission. After several seconds, Bayleef relented, and moved away from her fallen opponent.

Brock made a quick judgment. "Marshtomp is unable to continue the battle! Bayleef wins!"

"Alright Bayleef!" Ash cheered. The Leaf Pokemon joined in the cries of jubilation.

"Bay! Ba-bayleef!" The sidelines were up in celebration as well.

"That means that Ash only has one Pokemon he has to face now!" Scott stated.

"And with three Pokemon left, this last round should be a cinch!" Lyra added.

"Chu-Pikapi!"

"Aw-YEAH!" Chamo cheered. "Looks like we'll be getting Nodoka back sooner than later!" Yue smiled. This was actually working!

The King scowled, returning Marshtomp back into its Pokeball. **"You were of no help to me!"** He then scanned the crowd, locking eyes with Brandon. The Pyramid King was staring intensely at him. **"I don't need to mind read you to know what powerful Pokemon you have, so I'll just take another off of your hands!"** Another outstretched hand, another mysterious power, another stolen Pokemon.

"Not again!" Khoury gasped.

**"Yes again!"** the King laughed. **"Now tell me, Pyramid King, what moves does this Pokemon know?"** It took a few seconds for the answer to appear inside of the diary. **"I see…very interesting…mufufu…"**

"What's so funny?" Ash asked.

**"Oh, nothing. Just that this Pokemon will seal this battle!"**

"What Pokemon did he choose?" Scott asked.

"It's the one that Noland had lent me while he was away. Said something about keeping it safe in wake of the other Legendary Bird's incident." The Battle Frontier owner paled.

"No…not him…!"

**"Oh yes him! Articuno, serve your master!"**

"What?-!" Ash gasped.

"Pi-ka!"

"An Articuno?-!" Brock exclaimed.

"I'm guessing that that's bad…" Chisame said. The Pokeball opened, and the energy beam formed into the shape of a massive bird Pokemon, at least over five feet tall. When the beam took shape, it revealed a majestic ice blue body. Ice crystals seemed to form off of its wings, and it had a long, wavy series of tail feathers that were almost as long as the Pokemon was tall.

"COO!" the Pokemon cawed.

"What Pokemon is that?-!" Dawn fumbled for her Pokedex. "I've never seen such a majestic bird this size!"

*ARTICUNO, THE FREEZE POKEMON. THE MAGNIFICENT, SEEMINGLY TRANSLUCENT WINGS OF THIS LEGENDARY BIRD POKEMON ARE SAID TO BE MADE OF ICE. ARTICUNO CAN CREATE BLIZZARDS BY FREEZING THE MOISTURE IN THE AIR.*

"An' Brandon had THIS on his person?-!" Chamo said in bewilderment. "This chicken's absolutely huge!"

"And has a twin-type advantage over Bayleef," Khoury lamented. "I'd rather take Regirock and its Hyper Beam attack now."

"We're doomed," Chisame decided. Lyra got up, and faced everyone.

"Hey, why are you so down?" the brunette asked her friends. "Ash is still going to win! Let's go Ash!" However, even Pikachu wasn't sure about the outcome. The Electric Mouse Pokemon's ears had drooped, and his tail had fallen to the ground.

"Chuu…" Yue attempted to cheer hum up by scratching the back of his neck, but she had experienced an emotional turnaround as well.

"Nodoka…have we lost you for good?" Even Bayleef was having second thoughts about her opponent. Ash saw the worry inside of his Pokemon.

"Bayleef, just do what you can!" he told her. "Even at a disadvantage, you can still do some damage to Articuno!" The Leaf Pokemon felt a bit better after hearing that. She nodded towards his trainer.

"Bay!"

"Good!. Let's start this round, Bayleef! Use Razor Leaf!" Balyeef launched a series of leaves at Articuno. The attack hit the Freeze Pokemon's wing, but didn't even do so much as scratch the feathers. "It had no effect!"

**"Articuno, Ice Beam!"**

"CUOO!" The bird reared back, then unleashed a large stream of frozen energy towards Bayleef.

"Try to dodge!" Ash ordered. Bayleef jumped to the side, skidding away from the impact of the energy. Where the Leaf Pokemon had been standing was now a rather large patch of rough ice. The King waggled a finger at the opposing trainer.

**"Tsk, tsk, Ash. Nothing you do will change your fate! Articuno, Mind Reader!"** Articuno closed its eyes. This action perplexed Ash.

"Huh?" he wondered. "What's his ploy…" Suddenly, he noticed something. Bayleef had been on the move, just in case something was actually going to occur. At the moment, he saw what looked like an eye on the Leaf Pokemon's forehead. "No…Bayleef, get to the wall!"

**"You're too slow on the draw! Articuno, use Ice Beam!"** Articuno's eyes snapped open, and the Freeze Pokemon unleashed another Ice Beam attack. At the same time, Bayleef made a break for the wall. The Leaf Pokemon slid to the side, dodging the Ice-Type attack. As she was getting up, however, the Ice Beam curved in the air, looping back towards Bayleef. The powerful attack struck the Leaf Pokemon, instantly freezing her.

"Bayleef!" Ash cried. Bayleef was unable to move.

**"Aw, the little Pokemon is stuck?"** the King mocked.** "Here, let me help you unfreeze her! Steel Wing!"** Articuno beat its wings, unleashing a frosty wave of cold air each time it did so. Taking flight, it charged straight at Bayleef, its wings glowing and gaining metallic properties. The right wing sliced through the ice block, cutting it in two, and wounding Bayleef even more.

"BAYYY!" Bayleef crashed into the ground, skidding several feet, before winding up at Ash's feet, defeated.

"Bayleef is unable to continue the battle!" Brock declared. "The round goes to Articuno!" Articuno returned to its starting position, while Ash got down on one knee, consoling his fallen Pokemon.

"Don't worry, Bayleef," he assured her. "You did great out there."

"Bay…" Bayleef was recalled into his Pokemon, and Ash made a quick switch.

"Buizel, I need you one more time!" For the third round, the Sea Weasel Pokemon was sent out.

"Bui! Bui!"

"Buizel, charge at Articuno!" Buizel began to run towards the Freeze Pokemon.

**"Articuno, use Ice Beam!"** Articuno tried to attack Buizel with its signature attack, but with Buizel's oncoming speed, the Ice Beams couldn't find their target.

"Now, Iron Tail!" Buizel leapt up at Articuno. Its tail spun around with a metallic luster, and struck the Freeze Pokemon with tremendous force in the chest. This attack did damage, and Articuno hopped back a few feet in order to recover its breath.

"Good thinking!" Khoury praised. "An Ice-Type like Articuno is weak against Steel-Type attacks!"

"May I be frank?"Chisame asked. The green-haired boy was confused.

"Huh?"

"How is that even possible? I mean, how can Ice be weak against metal? Shouldn't metal become brittle in the presence of ice?" Khoury was confused.

"You know the funny thing is, nobody really knows. It just happens."

"And nobody bothers to find out?" a frustrated Chisame groaned.

**"Well, I guess we'll use Mind Reader to find you out!"** Again, Articuno closed its eyes.

"Get back to the wall, Buizel!" Ash ordered. "Mind Reader is like Lock-on!"

"Bui!" Buizel moved back towards the wall.

"Now it doesn't matter using that attack!" Ash declared. The King smirked.

**"Oh really? Articuno, target: ninety right!"**

"Huh?" This move had caught everyone off, Ash most so. "Ninety right? What does that mean?"

"Is there anything to command for where the attack goes?" Chamo asked. Brandon shook his head.

"No…the attack always target's the user's opponent..." Currently, however, an eye had not formed on Buizel's head. On the referee stand, Brock was thinking the same thing.

'_What's he pulling?'_ he thought. _'Mind Reader is an attack to guarantee a hit on the opponent, but nothing's happened…unless…ninety right meant ninety __**degrees**__ to the right!'_ He looked at the small group of spectators, who happened to be ninety degrees to the right of Articuno. He scanned the crowd, hoping beyond hope his suspicions were wrong. However, there it was, plainly visible on her large forehead. Since she was in the front row, nobody had noticed.

The mind's eye was on Yue.

"Ash!" he called, panicked. "Articuno isn't targeting Buizel! It's targeting Yue!"

"Huh?-!" The Pokemon trainer turned towards the crowd, and spotted the mark on her forehead. Chamo also inspected the area. When he saw the mark, he jumped back in fear.

"Holy pantyfest!" he exclaimed [Dawn: Pantyfest? -_-] "Everyone hit the deck!"

**"Too late!"** the King declared. **"Articuno, use Ice Beam!"** Articuno began to launch its attack. However, it didn't move from its position, and was still facing Buizel. Ash saw an opportunity open up.

"Buizel, follow me! Aqua Jet!" Ash raced out of the box, towards the stands. Buizel followed, covered in the watery jet that allowed him to effectively fly. The Ice Beam fired, curving back in a loop, before turning like a corkscrew towards the stage. There was no time to call out a Pokemon to shield, only time to run. Even Pikachu didn't have a second thought in running. He had tried to attack a legendary bird once before, to no effect. There was no chance that he could deflect an attack like that. However, when he was ten feet away from the seats where they once were, something told the Electric Mouse Pokemon to turn around. To his horror, Yue had not moved. The purplette was frozen in fear and shock.

"Pika Pi Chu!"

"Huh?" Lyra was the only one to hear Pikachu. "Yue! Get out of there!"

**"Hahahaha! Yue, how does it feel to be hurt by the very same hands of a person that you once called your friend?-!"**

"No…no!"

"**YUE!"**

* * *

"DHOWA?-!" Ash suddenly found himself skidding onto the ground of the stands, skidding for a bit on the concrete surface. The plan had been for Buizel to intercept the Ice Beam, while Ash grabbed Yue and tried to get out of the way. If that wasn't possible, he would use his body as a shield. However, while he was about to execute that plan, somebody had yelled out Yue's name, and he somehow missed. How, he had no clue.

"Ow…" he groaned, picking himself up. "Hey, that didn't hurt as much as I thought that – huh?" He looked up. In front of him was Lyra, a shocked expression frozen on her face. By frozen, she wasn't moving.

"Lyra?" He waved a hand in front of her face. "Hello? Earth to Lyra, are you in there?" He tried to touch her, but to his surprise, his hand _phased right through her._"Wah!" He quickly retracted his hand. As he did so, he turned around, gaining the biggest shock of his life.

There he was, suspended in mid-air, ready to scoop Yue out of the way of the impending attack. Buizel and his Aqua Jet were there as well, but the watery film wasn't flowing. The Ice Beam was stopped, mere feet away from the Sea Weasel Pokemon. Everything had stopped, frozen in a snapshot of time.

And strangely, he was looking at it while being in it at the same time.

"Talk about your out-of-body experience... again..." His ears were suddenly alerted to sounds of someone...crying. He turned towards the side of the arena where the King of Pokelantis was supposed to be. However, he was gone, nowhere to be found. The body that he had been inhabiting, however, was there, folded and broken on the ground. Tears were falling from her face, as the girl looked at the ground in complete and utter sorrow.

"N-N-No more!" she sobbed. "I-I can't watch my-my friend be destroyed (hic!) b-b-b-by…" she couldn't even finish what she was trying to say, and continued to cry. Ash watched for a few seconds. This was the girl that he had been trying to save. Nodoka…

"Hey! Nodoka!" The purplette practically jumped out of her skin upon hearing Ash's voice.

"HWAH!" Ash got a good look at Nodoka's eyes. Instead of the cold, deep, menacing glare that he had been accustomed to seeing since the battle had begun, they were now replaced by a large, afraid, and astonished look. "W-W-Who are you?-!" It took a few seconds for her to calm down. "Wait…you are the trainer that I was facing in that nightmare just before…"

"I wish it was only in your head…" Ash lamented. This surprised the purplette.

"Huh…then…this wasn't a…no…what have I done…?" She was about to cry again, when Ash took ahold of her hand.

"It's not your fault," he said. "If anyone needs to be blamed, it's me."

"Huh?" Nodoka was confused.

"You released the Spirit that was inside the stone Pokeball by trying to open the Pokeball or imitating such an action, right? I did the same thing about a year ago, when I found that object. I was controlled as well, and it took everything I had to defeat the Spirit out of my body, and seal it back up."

"So then, I'm being controlled…!" Her thoughts went back to another instance of a person being controlled, one that had happened rather recently to her. She began to blush, and her bangs seemed to cover up her eyes. "D-Do you know if anything…l-l..le…?"

"Don't worry," Ash assured, smiling. "The only thing that happened was the battle." He looked out around the frozen landscape. "And then this…"

"Where are we?" Nodoka asked.

_**You're in a place where I can communicate with you without interruption.**_

"W-W-W-What w-was that?-!" Nodoka shot her head back and forth, looking for the source of the voice in their head.

_Behind you. _Ash and Nodoka turned around, and found themselves face-to-face with Mew.

"A Mew!" Ash exclaimed.

"Wah!" Nodoka squealed. "It's so cute!" Mew floated around Nodoka for a few seconds, before returning in front of the two.

_As much as I would want to entertain you, Nodoka, I am actually surprised. Why are you here? I only intended to communicate with the Chosen One. _

"Eh? Chosen one?"

"Me?" Ash pointed to himself.

_Yes, you, Ash Ketchum. _The Pokemon Trainer pondered the question for a second, then decided on an answer.

"Maybe it has something to do with the Spirit that's controlling Nodoka's body," he suggested. "Since you tried do draw my spirit out to communicate with me, it might have done the same with her spirit.

_That is what I was leaning to as well._ Mew turned to the purplette. _You can't discuss anything of this outside except with the Chosen One himself._

"Y-Yes," Nodoka nodded. "I understand."

_Good. Now, we can get to business. Chosen One, the worlds are crying out for their heroes to come out of their slumber once again, and you must heed the call._ Ash was a little less than surprised.

"I figured as much, if past events haven't told me about Pokemon that communicate with me. But why now?" He looked at Nodoka, and realized his answer. "It's about them, isn't it? The students of another world that are scattered across the Pokemon World." Mew nodded.

_Yes. We legendary Pokemon have come to an agreement about a text that you humans had unearthed. _A stream of Unown filled the room, forming the following message:

_O, Radiant Magi,_

_Who shines down thy Brilliance and Marvel,_

_Deliver thy Chosen One from Evil,_

_And train thy Beloved One for the impending Clash,_

_Lest thine worlds shall fall to Ash._

_Send thy humble servants to Everlasting Unity,_

_Before the herald of the False Prophet from the Beginning._

"Magi?" Nodoka wondered. "As in a Magister Magi?"

"It also mentions someone saving me and helping another person…the 'Radiant Magi'…What is this about, Mew?"

_Something big is going to happen inside of the Pokemon World, it seems…And all signs point to the crux of the solution being from a second world…_ Nodoka had a feeling that by 'second world' Mew had meant hers. _You are to team up with the Radiant Magi, Chosen One, and eliminate this threat. _

"Okay, but how can I do that if I don't know who that person is? Or if I lose this battle?" Mew giggled.

_You humans are so innocent and ignorant…both of you have heard of her before!_

"What?" Ash was surprised. "We have?"

"B-But there's no way!" Nodoka exclaimed. "Our worlds haven't been in contact until…until now…"

_Right. Nodoka, one of your classmates is the Radiant Magi. And Chosen One, one of the students of Mahora Academy that are here is the Radiant Magi._ The news rocked the cores of the two teenagers. Both of them knew one of the saviors of the worlds.

"I-I wonder who it is…?" Nodoka wondered. Mew giggled again.

"I think that whoever it is, they're closer than we think," Ash declared.

_As for the other bit, I'll aid you. I believe that my powers, along with your aura capabilities, are strong enough to create a mental shield from that diary of yours, Nodoka._

"My aura?" Ash asked.

_Yes. I believe that the friend that you called upon is near enough to help you in time, too. Compared to that, we're doing chump change._

"That's good." Nodoka didn't think so. She cringed, shuddering at the thought of returning back to reality.

"D-Do we really have to?" she asked. "I don't want to go back in there with that…that…spirit-thing…" Ash placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder.

"Just watch me, Nodoka. I'm going to cut this nightmare of yours clean in two!"

* * *

It took a split second for Yue to realize that she was moving, and not under her own power. It was Ash, who had grabbed her by the waist, and thrusted her ahead of him, just before Buizel had been struck by the Ice Beam attack. The Sea Weasel Pokemon then proceeded to crash into the stands, as ice completely froze the spot where she had once been. The two tumbled to the ground, with the Purplette on the bottom, and the raven haired teen on the top. Not the best of positions, but Ash didn't care.

"Looks like...I'm back..." he panted. "And in time...Yue, why didn't you try to move?" Yur didn't really have an answer.

"I…I don't know…" she replied. "I think…just the thought of Nodoka doing this to me…" Ash was both surprised and angry upon hearing that.

"You thought Nodoka did this to you?" he asked. "Are you crazy enough to believe that and throw your life away? That wasn't Nodoka! She's too innocent and kind to even attempt that! What would you think she would say if she found out you had died because you misinterpreted one action by that Spirit for her own?-!"

Yue didn't know what to say. This was the first time she had seen Ash get riled up over something that wasn't about Pokemon. Ash pushed himself up off the ground.

"There's more to life than just throwing it away," he continued, extending a hand to her. "There are people that care for you, including the one who just saved your life." Yue looked up at him, and was reminded of something from an event in her recent memory that she wanted to forget.

'"_What I don't want if for us to fight or feel sad over this. I don't want to read a sad and boring story like that." However Ash found out about Nodoka, he's right. She wouldn't want to hurt me. After all…' _She took Ash's hand. _'…"Anyone who loves books can't be a bad person."'_ Ash had only intended for the hand to help Yue off of the floor, but he soon found himself embraced in a full hug from the purplette.

"Wah? Yue…!"

"Thank you," she whispered. "For reminding me…" Ash was puzzled at first, but decided not to find out what she meant. He simply smiled, and returned the embrace.

Watching all of this was Lyra. The brunette was absolutely heartbroken by the scene. "Ash…"

"Buizel is unable to continue!" Brock's voice cut through the moment, and returned Ash to the battle. "Articuno is the winner!" Buizel lay in a heap, his tail partially frozen.

"Buizel!" His trainer ran to his side, concerned over the Sea Weasel Pokemon's health. "Are you okay?" Buizel managed to open his eyes.

"B-Bui…zel…" Ash smiled.

"You did great, Buizel. Thanks for taking the hit." Buizel gave Ash the thumbs-up. "Now take a good, long rest." Ash returned Buizel into his Pokeball. He stood up, and faced the body of Nodoka. Ash knew that she still had no control over it.

**"Are you scared, yet?"** the King asked. **"You're tasked with the impossible!"** Ash clenched his fists.

"No…nothing is impossible! You hear me, Nodoka! I'm getting you off of his controls!"

"And how? With your puny little mouse? Face it; your strongest Pokemon can't compare to Articuno!" Ash smirked.

"You're right; Pikachu probably can't defeat Articuno. But you're wrong about him being my strongest Pokemon."

**"What do you mean, boy?"** The king did not like where Ash was leading him. He looked at the diary, but was horrified to find it blank. **"What are you doing?-! I can't read your mind anymore!"**

'_So Mew wasn't kidding…' _"While I was preparing for the battle, I made a call to a friend who lives not too far from here. I asked her if I could borrow the Pokemon that I was keeping within her care for this battle. Hehe, and when I saw the last Pokemon you chose turn out to be Articuno, I was completely surprised! I never thought I would get another chance to battle one, let alone in a complete remach!"

"Battle again against Articuno?" Scott wondered. "No…he couldn't mean…"

"**RRARRD!"**

All eyes turned to the hole in the Battle Pyramid. A huge flying lizard suddenly swooped in through the hole. It beat its massive, green wings as it landed. When its orange feet touched the ground, the entire Battle Pyramid trembled. A long, orange tail swished from side to side, with a large flame burning brightly at the end. It had two three-clawed hands, and had a large, cream-colored spot on its belly.

"What is that?" Chisame gasped.

"It can't be…!" Dawn exclaimed. Brock smiled.

"It is!" The breeder stated. Ash went over to the lizard, and patted it on the side.

"Glad you could make it in time, buddy." He turned to face the Spirit. "King of Pokelantis, meet my strongest Pokemon, Charizard!"

"RRRARD!"

* * *

_For Your Information…._

_I didn't originally intend for Articuno to be under Brandon's possession. However, once the later part of the chapter was developed, I found a sudden need to have a move that guaranteed accuracy. With Regirock in use already, I needed another candidate._

_Does anyone really know the answer to Chisame's question?_

_So now things have just gotten serious. Now that Charizard appeared, can Ash defeat the King of Pokelantis and save Nodoka? Or will Articuno prove that lightning doesn't strike twice, and be the last Pokemon left standing? We'll have to wait until next time to find out, so read, review, and stay tuned! You can always get the latest news on this story and all of my works at_ _the forum link posted on my profile page. Ja ne, everyone!_

_Ketchum Kid_


	14. Fiery Photo Finish!

_Fresh off of a break, the high-paced production of chapters continues for me! And do you know what makes this chapter so important? __Well, now Deliverance from Evil now has over 100K words! Now I cannot be filtered out! I control the horizontal and vertical! Hahahaha-!_

_Wait. There's a filter for stories under five thousand words?_

_Well, dart._

_Anywho, the last round of the epic clash between Ash and the King of Pokelantis, and the end of the Violet City Arc, commences soon, but before that, a review to get to:_

From Matt: I've noticed the shikon JewelInuyasha, Ocarina Zelda,and Millenium Puzzle Yu gi oh but I don't know what Statue of Undine is from in the next chapter tell me what it's from.

From KKid: I forget if I stated it before (too lazy to check :P), but the Statue of Undine is based off of the Water Spirit Undine, from the Tales series of RPG games.

_And that's it! So I'll be quiet and let the story do the talking! See you at the bottom!_

_P.S.: At a certain point, you might want to Youtube the Pokemon Gym Version 2 theme from the anime, and play it while reading. Don't worry, you'll know where to start playing it._

* * *

**Chapter XIV: Fiery Photo Finish!**

*CHARIZARD, THE FLAME POKEMON. CHARIZARD IS THE EVOLVED FORM OF CHARMELEON. CHARIZARD BREATHES FIRE OF SUCH GREAT HEAT THAT IT CAN MELT BOULDERS. HOWEVER, IT NEVER TURNS ITS FIERY BREATH ON ANY OPPONENT WEAKER THAN ITSELF.*

Yue put down her Pokedex, and stared at the orange dragon-like creature on the field in front of Ash. The Pokemon's tail swished back and forth on the ground, and his eyes glared through Articuno, and straight to the opposing trainer. The King of Pokelantis seemed extremely unnerved at the sudden development. He hadn't known that this was what Ash had in mind for his last Pokemon.

"**You cheat!"** he accused. **"He wasn't on your main party when the battle started!"**

"You're one to talk about using Pokemon!" Ash countered. He walked over to his Pokemon. "Charizard, Articuno is being controlled by the same force that possesses that girl in the opposite trainer's box. In order to free both of them, we need to defeat Articuno, and win this battle. You have my back on this?" Charizard nodded.

"Rrd!"

"Good." The Pokemon Trainer turned to Brock. "We're all ready over here!"

"Okay then! The final round, Charizard vs. Articuno! BEGIN!"

'_The Battle Pyramid doesn't offer the best of locales to fly around in, but If Charizard isn't in the air, we're at a huge disadvantage!'_ "Charizard, fly into the sky!"

"**Follow him, Articuno!"** Both Pokemon took to the air, and began circling the arena. Charizard took the lead, with the Freeze Pokemon chasing close behind.

"So does Charizard have the advantage?" Chamo asked. "You did say something about these two facing off once before…" Scott shook his head.

"Not exactly. The last time these two battled, Ash came out with a Symbol barely. Articuno's a Legendary Pokemon, after all. Plus, it has a Water-Type move…"

"**Articuno, Water Pulse!"**

"COO!" Articuno launched a blast of water at Charizard. It hit the Flame Pokemon in the back, and knocked him down a few feet.

"CRARD!"

"Hang tight, Charizard!" Ash encouraged. "Turn around and use Flamethrower!" Charizard turned around, and prepared to unleash a torrent' of flames onto the Freeze Pokemon.

"**Don't just gawk there, Articuno! Water Pulse again!"** Articuno prepared another dosage of Water Pulse. The two attacks collided, each trying to outdo the other. Eventually, the contact point exploded, forming a mist inside the battlefield. The mist made it nearly impossible for anyone to see.

"How is Ash supposed to battle in this?" Lyra asked. The raven-haired Trainer was concerned.

'_This is bad…I can't launch an attack with this fog…' _"Charizard, use your wings to blow the mist away!" Charizard began to flap his wings with intensity, creating a strong gust of wind. Soon, the mist was gone; however, an unpleasant surprise awaited him.

"Oh no!" The mind's eye was firmly on Charizard's head.

"It's Mind Reader!" Dawn exclaimed.

"**Articuno, use Water Pulse!"**

"Counter with Flamethrower!" Ash ordered. A repeat of the previous encounter occurred. Charizard's Flamethrower collided with Articuno's Water Pulse, neither attack breaking through.

"**Are you that ready to concede, Ash?"** the King inquired. **"I don't need to see; I'll just do the same tactic again once the mist forms again!"**

"Haven't you learned from earlier? I don't fall for the same tricks twice! Charizard, Overheat, let's go!"

"RRAAARRDD!" Charizard's entire body began to glow red, as a power began to well up inside of the Flame Pokemon. The heat from the Flamethrower attack dramatically increased, enough that the flames themselves changed colors from orange and yellow to a bright white. The Water Pulse quickly evaporated, and the attack continued on to Articuno.

"CUUUNOOO!" The Freeze Pokemon was completely enveloped in flames, and sustained incredible damage. It was still standing, but it looked incredibly worn out.

"I have a question," Dawn said. "How did Articuno almost beat Charizard?"

"Noland had Articuno repeatedly use Ice Beam to freeze up Charizard's wings," Scott explained. "It didn't do much damage, but it slowed Charizard down enough that he couldn't fly properly. However, the King of Pokelantis hasn't called for a single Ice Beam attack in the battle, and I think by now, it's too late to try and build up the ice. This could be Ash's chance." Brandon disagreed.

"It's too early to call it, Scott. Overheat is an incredible fire attack, but it wears out a Pokemon if it's used too much." Indeed, Charizard was visibly tired, and had to land on the ground to catch his breath.

"**You've done a lot of damage to my servant,"** the King conceded, **"but now, you've wasted your best attack early in the game, and haven't finished me off! Articuno, use Ice Beam! Aim for the legs!"** Articuno unleashed a frozen beam on Charizard, but aimed for Charizard's legs. The attack caused little damage, but the Flame Pokemon now found himself stuck in place.

"Charizard can't move now!" Khoury exclaimed.

"This is bad, this is bad, this is really bad!" panicked Chamo. The King of Pokelantis laughed menacingly.

"**I may not be able to read your mind, Ash Ketchum, but I can immobilize your Pokemon!"** the Spirit stated. Ash gritted his teeth. Charizard tried to fly away, but he couldn't break free of his icy shackles.

"Charizard, Flamethrower! Melt the ice!" Charizard craned his neck towards his feet. Unleashing a torrent of flames, he quickly melted the ice that bound him to the ground. However, in the time that it took for him to do so, Articuno had launched its next attack. As soon as the Flame Pokemon turned back to face it, the Freeze Pokemon struck with metallic wings, knocking him back to the ground

"Charizard!" the younger members of the crowd gasped.

"**Use Water Pulse, now!"** Articuno unleashed a blast of water yet again onto the Flame Pokemon. This time, the blast was aimed at Charizard's tail. The cold water doused the Pokemon's health, just as he had been trying to get back onto his feet. Charizard tumbled and turned on the ground, before lying in a heap near the edge of the arena. The Flame Pokemon had many cuts and bruises on him, and his once-proud flame on the edge of his tail was nearly extinguished.

"Charizard!" Ash called out. "Are you okay?-!" Charizard merely struggled to get back up.

"**I think it's time to finish this battle, and gain my reward! Articuno, use Water Pulse! Take Charizard out!"** Articuno prepared to fire its third consecutive Water attack.

"If that hits, Charizard's done!" Khoury exclaimed. The attack launched.

"This can't be the end!" Chamo stated. "What am I going to tell Aniki when we meet him again?-!"

"What are we going to tell Mrs. Ketchum?-!" Dawn wondered. Yue watched the attack near Charizard, the bells of the battle tolling for the last time…"

"Go, Charizard!" Suddenly, the flame on Charizard's tail exploded in size, growing larger than it had been in any point of the battle. The Flame Pokemon's eyes shot wide open, and he spun up and around, whacking the Water Pulse with the length of his tail. The attack hit, but the water instantly evaporated, causing no damage.

"RRARRD!"

"**Impossible!"** The King gasped in disbelief. **"Your Charizard was finished!"**

"We thought the same thing!" Chisame stated incredulously. "What happened?"

"That was Blaze!" Brandon explained. "It's an ability of Charizard that increases its power when at low health."

"Ash was saving up the last of his strength for this," Scott realized. "He was counting on Charizard to whittle this down to the wire, and then come out a winner!"

"Go get em, Charizard!" Dawn shouted. Yue smiled, and got up as well.

"Finish this up, Ash!" she yelled. "Win this battle!" Ash nodded.

"Right! Charizard, Flamethrower!"

"RRARD!" Charizard unleashed a powerful torrent of flames at the Freeze Pokemon. The attack almost took on the same colored flames as Overheat.

"**Dodge, and get in close for Steel Wing!"** Articuno flew over the attack, and charged inward. Once again, the Pokemon's wings began to glow brightly, as it began to fly towards Charizard, who couldn't seem to hit with Flamethrower.

"Stop that attack!" Ash ordered. "Grab its wings!" That's just what Charizard did. Clamping his jaw shut, it extended his two hands out, and grabbed the wings of Articuno before they had a chance to connect with his body. The Flame Pokemon skidded to a stop several feet away, but he now had Articuno right where he wanted.

"Now Ash can use Overheat right here and now!" Lyra exclaimed.

"I think Ash is going to take a different road," Scott disagreed. "This is just the situation that they were in with their last battle."

"Now, take to the sky again! Seismic Toss!" Charizard furiously beat his wings, and began to carry Articuno into the air. Near the top of the Battle Pyramid, Charizard turned down in a semicircle, then turned back up, repeating the action to circle up and down, gaining speed as he did so.

The King of Pokelantis saw a chance at victory yet again. **"Articuno, Water Pulse! And aim to kill!"** The Freeze Pokemon prepared another Water Pulse attack, ready to knock Charizard out of the sky. Ash wasn't about to let this happen.

"Add Overheat to the mix!" Charizard's tail flame grew even more, now almost the size of a small person. Charizard opened his mouth, and bright flames poured out of his mouth, trailing behind and forming a bright ring of flames around the path of the Seismic Toss. The attack severely hurt Articuno, who was now on its last legs.

"**No…no…this can't be it! I am King of all Pokemon!"**

"Every king has his day!" Ash threw down the gauntlet. "Overheat Toss, let's go!"

"RRRRRRRRAAAAAARRRDDDDDD!-!" Charizard, now at a blinding speed, broke free of the loop of flames, and charged straight at the ground. Before impact, the Flame Pokemon let go of Articuno, and flew out to safety. The Freeze Pokemon, coated in bright flames, crashed with a mighty explosion of fire and light that was so bright, nobody could look directly at it.

When they could, they found that Charizard was next to Ash, awaiting the result of the battle. Articuno was in the middle of the field, and clearly was in no shape to battle. A few embers lingered on the ground around it, but the Legendary Bird was in a heap on the ground, knocked out cold. Brock wasted no time in his judgment.

"Articuno is no longer able to battle!" he announced, pointing at Charizard. "The final round goes to Charizard, and the winner of this battle is Ash Ketchum!"

"**NO! THIS CANNOT BE!"**

"All right, Charizard!" Ash cheered.

"RRARD!"

"Pi-Pikachu!" Pikachu cheered.

"Yeah haha, baby!" Chamo cheered. "We've got ourselves a Nodoka back!"

"Ash came through again!" Dawn exclaimed.

"He's simply incredible!" Lyra stated. Brandon nodded.

"He's one determined kid, Ash is," the Pyramid King said. "He'll be a great player for the Pokemon Leagues in the future." He smiled. "I can't wait for the next time we battle."

The King of Pokelantis was not ready to concede defeat. **"NO! I am the King of Pokelantis! I will decide when this battle is over!"** He turned towards the stands.** "Pikachu! I choose you!"**

"Pi!" Pikachu tried to get away, but the mysterious power of the King of Pokelantis overwhelmed the will of the Electric Mouse Pokemon. His eyes and ears drooped, and he fell into a trance. "Chuu…"

"Pika-buddy, don't go!" Chamo tried to stop Pikachu, grabbing onto the Electric Mouse Pokemon's tail. An arc of electricity carried over the Pokemon's tail. "Eh? AGUEYAOVATAATA!-!" Chamo staggered back, zapped to the core, and fell onto the ground. Free of his tailgater, Pikachu hopped onto the field, taking his place opposite of Charizard.

"Pikachu, no!" Ash begged. "Get back off the field!" Charizard quickly found himself dodging blasts of electricity, as the King of Pokelantis once again laughed victoriously.

"**You cannot oppose me! I am the King of Pokelantis! Everything will be mine, and with your Electric Pokemon now under my command, you have no hope of freeing your friend!"**

"Do you really think that was _our_ only Electric Pokemon?" Ash posed. The King suddenly felt something run up his back. He looked, and came face-to-fur with a white squirrel that had a blue stripe down its tail.

"Chuu…"

"Pachirisu, Discharge!" Dawn ordered.

"Chu-CHUPARIII!-!" Pachirisu unleashed a wild display of electricity, zapping the Spirit to the core.

"**NOOO! THIS CAN'T BEEE!-!"** The Spirit was forced out of his human host, forming a black, ambiguous smoke. The body collapsed to the ground, unconscious, but free of its control.

"Now's our chance!" Brandon stated. "Capture him!" Chamo tossed the sealing bottle to Yue.

"Get it to him, now!" the Ermine urged. Yue took off towards the Spirit, but halfway to it, she tripped. The bottle flew out of her hands, and was nearing the ground quickly. "No!"

"If that bottle breaks, we're toast!" Khoury realized.

"Rard!" Charizard took off, and was able to spin in time to catch the bottle before it touched the ground. The Flame Pokemon then tossed the bottle over to Brock.

"Got it!" the breeder said, catching the bottle in his hand. "Ash!"

"I'm open!" Like a game of baseball, Brock tossed the bottle to Ash, who made an nice barehanded scoop to keep the bottle intact. Yue joined him alongside.

"This is for all of the pain you've caused to me an all of my friends, King of Pokelantis!" Ash declared.

"I'm never forgiving you for taking control of my friend!" Yue stated. "Now here is your sentence!" The sealing bottle was uncorked.

"**WE WIN, KING OF POKELANTIS!-! LAGENA SIGNATORIA!-!"** A green pentagram surrounded the bottle. The Spirit of the King of Pokelantis resisted its pull for a second, only to be sucked into the bottle completely the next. Once all of the Spirit was contained, the cork went back on, sealing the fate for the Spirit.

"'Light, come forth from the dark, and return to the dark,'" Ash quoted. "'Dark, come forth from the light, and return to the dark.' It's finished." Yue took off for Nodoka's body.

"Nodoka, wake up! Nodoka!" Yue shook her friend in hope of awaking her. Slowly, her eyelids began to stir, then open. No glare returned to face the purplette, only a soft, innocent look.

"Y…Yue…?" Yue smiled, and began to cry.

"Nodoka…" She embraced her friend. "Oh, Nodoka! I thought we lost you!"

"It's fine…" Nodoka stated. "I felt despair too…but I knew I would get out someway…KIAH!-!" She suddenly stumbled back, making Nodoka flop to the ground. "S-Scary!" What Nodoka had seen was, of course, Charizard, who was only a few feet away from the two. Ash laughed, and walked up alongside his Pokemon.

"Don't worry, Nodoka. Charizard may be fierce in battle, but he'd never harm a human. There's no need to worry about him!"

"RRARD!" Charizard spontaneously unleashed a Flamethrower on Ash, charring him to a crisp. Needless to say, the denizens of Mahora Academy were horrified.

"ASH!" Yue gasped. Brock came over, and placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder.

"It's sort of a routine between the two," he explained. As he said this, the attack finished, leaving Ash looking like he was made of, well, ash.

"'No need to worry,' huh?" Dawn wondered.

"There's a…first time for…everything…puh…"

"Pikachu…"

* * *

Outside the Battle Pyramid, Mew giggled. The Legendary Pokemon had seen everything through the hole in the side of the structure.

_Looks like those two are on their way now. I guess my job's done here. _ In an instant, Mew disappeared, leaving no trace that it had been in the vicinity of the structure.

* * *

Over in Kanto, Negi and Company had broken away from Duplica some time ago. The five were now travelling on a wooden boardwalk that formed the pathway along the coastline towards the next major populace, which they were told was Fuchsia City.

"Man, I which we were able to get more out of Duplica," Chibi-Eva complained. "Like where's the Boya's friends, how to get to our own time and place…but no, we have to ask where the next city is! Do you know how stupid a question that is?-!" Asuna picked up the miniaturized vampire.

"Do you really think that she would know those questions?" she asked. "We're effectively lost, since our only companion from this world was never outside her own town." She turned to Alyssia. The doll was securely in Negi's bag, but the child spirit floated outside, right next to the redhead. It reminded her of Sayo, their own class ghost.

"None taken," the Lavender Town spirit stated.

"Yeah, well, so what?" Chibi-Eva said. "We should ask anyone and everyone!" This prompted Asuna to pull at the vampire doll's cheek. "OW! Lemmie go, you freak! I can still ice you up, you know!"

"And I can still kick and punch you when we get back!" Asuna remarked.

"Why, you…!" This continued on for a while. In front, and not really paying attention to the three, were Negi and Setsuna. The latter was starting to grow nervous, looking around everywhere. The child mage took notice.

"Setsuna, is something the matter?" he asked. The hanyo was taken slightly surprised by the question.

"What? Oh, nothing. I'm just on the lookout for enemies, that's all."

"There hasn't been anything around us except those creatures Duplica called Rattata and Pidgey for the last hour." An answer formed in his mind. "You're looking for Konoka, aren't you?" Setsuna sighed.

"I'm worried about her," the girl admitted. "Eishun charged me with protecting her, and yet, here I am, in the middle of nowhere, without a clue in the world where she is. It's a bit rattling, is all."

"I'm sure that Konoka's fine," her professor assured. "She's a strong girl, after all. Besides, I seem to recall that Kaede was knocked towards her. Maybe they ended up in the same area." He paused. "Forgive me for asking, Setsuna, but you don't have any feelings towards Konoka, do you?" Setsuna lost her composure slightly.

"E-Eh?-! W-W-What makes you say that?"

"You're acting like someone who's fallen in love, that's all." Setsuna averted Negi's direction.

"N…N-No, nothing like that!" she stuttered. "M-Miss Konoka and I are strictly on business terms. There's n-no possible way for mutual feelings to enter our hearts at all!" Negi chucked.

"I guess I can take that for now…" he stated. A minute of silence (save for the ranting of Chibi-Eva in the background) allowed Setsuna to regain her composure.

"Professor, if I may ask, why are you staying so calm?" Negi tuned to the hanyo, confused.

"Eh? What do you mean?"

"During the time when the class was threatened with disbandment, the Kyoto trip, the festival…you've always panicked over the safety of your students. Yet now, with everyone stranded in a place we're unfamiliar with, you have a composure that I haven't seen from you in a while. Why?" There was more silence, as Negi thought of an answer.

"I guess it has to do with what that Mew creature told me," the boy decided on. "We were brought here because one of us has a job to do here. Don't get me wrong; I'm as terrified as you are on the possibilities of danger, especially when we don't know everyone's location. However, if things get bad, there's probably a good reason behind the cause."

"And?" Setsuna asked. "That can't be the only reason."

"These Pokemon trainers, like Sabrina and Duplica…they seem incredibly nice, and willing to help any traveler that's in need. I'm positive that if any one of us has appeared alone, they have a nice trainer that's helping them regroup with everyone." The hanyo was impressed.

"You still keep the wisdom beyond your years, even now," she complimented. Negi scratched the back of his neck.

"Well, Nekane taught me most of my upbringing, so credit her with that, haha…" Solemnly, however, he turned back to the road ahead. _'Still, we don't know much about the threat that Mew was talking about…everyone, please be okay until I get to you…'_

* * *

Outside of the Battle Pyramid, everyone was preparing to leave for their next destinations. Brandon looked at his temporary assistant, who was ready to hit the road with her friends.

"Are you sure you want to leave?" he asked. "Lenora and I could really use you here as we finish excavation of the dig." Nodoka nodded.

"I'd love to, but I really need to get going. I still need to find my friends, and now that I've discovered two of them, it would be wise to hook up with them."

"Speaking of going, how long is the Battle Pyramid grounded?" Ash asked.

"Well, repairs are going to take some time, but by the end of the week, it should be ready to move." Charizard snorted.

"Right, you have to go as well," Ash remembered. "Tell Liza we said thank you, okay?"

"Rrd."

"Also remind her of my undying love for her!" Dawn groaned.

"You have an undying love for everyone, Brock…" Charizard then took off into the sky, heading back to home.

"Bye, Charizard!" Ash called out. "Thanks for everything!"

"RAARRD!" Ash continued waving until the Flame Pokemon was out of sight.

"So where are we off to?" Chisame wondered. "Forward to the next town, or back to Violet City for a Gym Battle rematch against Falkner for Yue?" Nodoka was confused.

"Gym Battle?" The bookworm turned to her best friend. "Yue, did you get involved in something?"

"Ah, well, it was for getting back together with everyone…" Yue turned to Ash, Brock, and Dawn. "If you don't mind, I'd like to skip Violet City for now, and head for the next gym. I don't feel strong enough yet to take on Falkner. I need to capture and train more Pokemon if I want to continue down that path."

"That's fine by us," Brock stated.

"Yeah," Dawn added. "We'll just go wherever the next Contest or Frontier Facility is, and there's sure to be a Gym along the way!"

"Where is the next facility, anyway?" Ash asked. Scott smiled.

"You remember the drill, Ash. Once one facility's done, only the next is revealed to you. I believe Brock has a Pokegear, right?" The breeder nodded. Stepping forward, he took out the blue mapping device out of his pocket, and gave it to Scott. The head of the Battle Frontier placed a flash drive device into the Pokegear, before returning it to Brock.

"Let's see…it says that the next Battle Facility is not far to the north of Goldenrod City. If we cut straight across, we should be able to get there in a few days." Ash thought about this.

"True…or, we could also head south, and cut through Union Cave and Ilex Forest." Scott frowned.

"It's not like you to go and take the long road, Ash. What's your ploy?"

"If we head down and follow the coast, we head to Azalea Town," he explained. "There's a Pokemon Gym there, plus Professor Oak kinda needs me to get over there…"

* * *

_Flashback_

"_I've got Bayleef and Heracross on my end, Professor!" Ash said through the Pokemon Center's videophone._

"_Good, good. I believe Bulbasaur will be very pleased to know that Heracross has left the building for the moment." The Pokemon Professor laughed, then turned serious. "Also, Ash, I have a request for you."_

"_Huh? You do?"_

"_Yes. Do you remember_ _the GS Ball?" Ash thought for a second._

"_Yes…that was the ball Professor Ivy had found. Doesn't Kurt of Azalea Town have it?"_

"_He does; however, that ball has yet to be cracked open." Ash was surprised to hear this._

"_Really? But isn't he the expert on Pokeballs?"_

"_Even he's given up on the GS Ball, and now displays it on a shelf in his house. However, it's not for opening the GS Ball that I'm sending you to fetch it."_

"_What do you mean?"_

"_Reportedly, there's been an increase in suspicious activity in the vicinity of Azalea Town. We don't know who's behind them, but no doubt you can probably guess that it's Team Rocket. Kurt called me yesterday, expressing concern over the ball's safety."_

"_I'm guessing just because he can't open it doesn't mean someone with dirty hands can't, huh?" Professor Oak nodded._

"_Correct. Go and collect the GS Ball, and hold onto it for me, okay. It's probably better in your hands than sitting around collecting dust anyway." Ash and Pikachu smiled._

"_Don't worry, Professor! We'll get the GS Ball in one piece before anyone else can!"_

"_Pika Pika!"_

_End Flashback_

* * *

"Now that brings back a lot of memories," Brock stated. "The GS Ball was one of the reasons we went to Johto."

"Don't forget the Orange Islands," Ash reminded him. "Professor Ivy was the one who discovered it, after all."

"PikaPi, Chu…"

"Huh? What is it, Pika – eh?" Brock had suddenly moved all the way over to the side of the Battle Pyramid, sulking. "Brock?"

"That name…" the Pokemon Breeder shuddered. "Don't mention that name…" Ash placed his hands on his hips.

"Come on, Brock. It's been years, and you still haven't gotten over Professor Ivy?"

"DON'T MENTION THAT NAME!-!"

"Okay, jeez!"

"I'm lost…" Dawn admitted.

"And if she's lost, so are we," Chisame added.

"It's a long story," Ash explained. "And even I don't know half the details."

"Chu Pika…" Lyra walked over to Yue. The bibliomaniac was conversing with Chamo, who was on her shoulder.

"Hey, Yue, can we talk? I mean, the two of us?"

"Uh, sure," Yue replied. Lyra lead her slightly away from the group, so that they wouldn't hear. "And alone means alone, Pervert." She threw Chamo away, and over towards Brock.

"Hey, can't an' Ermine get intel here?-!" he complained. "Man, that girl is calm, but her actions sure are l-i-v-e-l-"

"GAH! THAT NAME!-!"

"So, what's up?" Yue asked. Lyra fidgeted her fingers. "You seem pensive." Lyra nodded.

"Well…it's because…" The brunette took a deep breath. "I've decided to give up on Ash." Yue was slightly surprised.

"You are?" she asked. A nod was her answer. "But you haven't asked him out, or stated your feelings for him personally…"

"You may be right, but I saw in that battle that I wasn't the person he should be with, nor the one he is attracted to. It made me realize how much I still have to do before I can get to someone like that…" The purplette blinked.

"…I have no idea what you just said, but you don't have to go to great lengths to get somebody to like you," Yue explained. "All you have to do is just take stock in yourself, and look around you. You might actually see that the person you're actually in love with is much closer than you think. And if that doesn't work, the ultimate form of love is to let the person do what they want…even if you don't get the wanted result…"

"Sounds like you've had some experience in that department, huh?"

"You don't even know the half of it…" Lyra placed a hand on Yue's shoulder, and smiled.

"Well, don't you worry! I can see that you'll like the result of Ash's choice then." Yue was even more confused than before.

"What are you talking about?" she asked. "Who is Ash attracted to, in your opinion." Lyra placed a hand over her mouth.

"You mean you don't see it?" The brunette smirked, turning away from Yue. "Eh…I don't need to spoil it. You'll see, eventually." She then returned to the rest of the group.

"…that girl reminds me of Haruna WAY too much," the purplette decided. "Speaking of Paru, I wonder what she's doing…"

* * *

"RUN!" one Pokemon Hunter yelled, scrambling through the woods. "We can't take that thing out!"

"It just keeps getting up, no matter what we throw at it!" another stated. "We have to retreat!

"Screw the pay!" a third cried. "I want my life intact!" A few other Pokemon Hunters followed, each with the same reactions. Soon, they disappeared into the woods.

Behind the said Pokemon, Haruna cackled viciously. "HAHAHAHA!-! Come at me, bros! My Suicune will still beat the living stuffing out of you guys! Is that the best you've got?"

"Eight Pokemon Hunters, two minutes, eighteen seconds." Above, on a cliff, Gary took notes in a pad. "That's the fastest time so far, Haruna!" The mangaka threw a thumbs-up in the younger Oak's direction.

"Hell, yeah! Nobody beats the Great Paru-Sama!" Gary slid down the cliff, joining her.

"Your artwork and speed on the Pokemon drawings is at the best I've seen it," he complimented. "However…"

"What?" Haruna asked. An anger mark appeared on Gary's head.

"The Legendary Pokemon don't make out with any Pokemon!" As he was saying this, the Suicune attempted to make love with a wild Lopunny. The Rabbit Pokemon initially struggled, before launching a Dizzy Punch at the Legendary Dog…which faded away into slime. Confused, the Lopunny went along its way. "Seriously, that is so degrading to their pure awe!"

"Whatev!" Haruna turned, staring out towards the forest where the Pokemon Hunters had retreated through. "My Ero-Ero Suicune can still beat any Poacher, any time of day!" Gary facepalmed.

"Haruna, they're called Pokemon Hunters…"

* * *

"You guys are going back to Violet City?" Ash asked.

"Yep!" Lyra stated. "Azalea Town's in the wrong direction for us. But make no mistake, Ash: I want to fight you the next time we meet!"

"So do I!" Khoury added. "We already had one battle, so best two out of three!" Ash smiled.

"It's a deal!" he stated. Scott coughed.

"Well, this is goodbye for now," the Battle Frontier owner said. "Until the next Facility…"

"…Or the next encounter!" Dawn added. The group started walking south, away from the Battle Pyramid.

"Goodbye!" they waved.

"Pika Pika!"

"So long!" Lyra called.

"You take care of yourself, Nodoka!" Brandon stated.

"I will!" Nodoka promised. They waved until the Pyramid was out of sight.

"Say, Aniki." Chamo got onto Ash's shoulder.

"Huh? Me?"

"Yes, you!" Chamo stated. "You really saved our hides back there, Ash. Truly, Big Bro Negster would have been proud of that performance. Therefore, you and Pikachu are my honorary brothers, my Anikis."

"Wow, that's a real honor, Chamo!" Ash exclaimed. "Thanks!"

"Pika!"

"Don't you mention it," the Ermine said. He took out a cigarette from…somewhere… "Anyway, I was wonderin' how you were able to know the activation of the sealing bottle without me telling you."

"There was an activation spell?" Brock asked, intrigued.

"Yeah!" Chamo answered. "Otherwise, that bottle's nothin' more than a flask you see in labs and stuff. Yuecchi's used it before, so she gets a pass; but I never told you the incantation, and yet you kept perfect tempo with her! What gives?" Ash pondered this for a bit.

"Well, I don't really know," he admitted. "When I grabbed the bottle with Yue, it sorta came into my mind…"

"Sorta come into your mind? Aniki, what lameass excuse is that?-!"

"I don't know!" Ash stated again. "That's the best answer I have!" Nodoka listened in to the conversation as well.

'_It just…came to him…?' _she thought. _'Wait…that Mew creature did say that Ash was the Chosen One of the world we're in now…then does that mean…Yue-?'_ "KYAAHH!-!"

"AHHH!-!" A pitfall opened up underneath the group, sending them tumbling into a hole.

"Is everyone okay?-!" Brock asked.

"Don't worry, I only have Dawn's boot in my face…" Chisame sarcastically replied.

"You've gotta be kidding me!" Chamo snapped. "Who wastes their time digging potholes in the road?-!"

"**The Team that's gonna steal Pikachu and the Magician, that's who!" **An excavator arm scooped up the group. A hole in the bucket let most of them fall back through, but it closed before Pikachu or Yue could escape.

"Pikachu!" Ash cried.

"Yue!" Nodoka gasped.

"We've been out of the spotlight, so prepare for trouble!"

"But we're back and badder, so make it double!"

"An evil as old at the galaxy!"

"Sent here to fulfill our destiny!"

"With Meowth, dat's me!"

"To protect the world from devastation!"

"To unite all people within our nation!"

"To denounce the evils of truth and love!"

"To extend our reach to the stars above!"

"Jessie!"

"James!"

"And Meowth, now dat's a name!"

"We're Team Rocket, blasting you off at the speed of light!"

"Surrender now, or prepare to fight, fight, fight!"

"Meowth! Dat's right!"

"Wob-bu-Wobbuh!"

"Team Rocket!"

"Who?" Nodoka asked. Team Rocket promptly facefaulted.

"Man, our name ain't going around like it used to!" Meowth complained.

"It's because the Twerps picked up another plum-haired partner," Jessie pointed out.

"Maybe we should invest in a music video to promote us," James suggested.

"Wo-bu…" The excavator arm rose, and a glass-bottom case opened up underneath the bucket. Yue and Pikachufell inside.

"Hey, let us out!" Yue demanded.

"Pika-Pika!"

"Nonsense!" Meowth said. "If we don't get youse to da Boss, we don't get a nice payday!"

"And don't you Twerps think about destroying that case!" Jessie stated.

"That's right!" James continued. "That's high-quality Mirror Move Glass! Any attack sent its way is bounced right back!" As if to prove his point, Pikachu tried to zap his way out of the container. However, the Thunderbolt attack bounced off, nearly striking Yue.

"Ah! Watch it!"

"Pika?-!"

"So, in effect, we win!" Jessie declared.

"N-Not quite!" Nodoka countered. The purplette took out her Pactio Card. "Adeat!" Team Rocket yelped in surprise.

"She's one of those magicians too?-!" James gasped.

"Quick, we've got to counter!" Jessie ordered, grabbing her Pokeballs.

"Wait!" Meowth said. "Her weapon is…a book?" The three broke out in laughter.

"You really think you're going to defeat Team Rocket with a book?" Jessie laghed.

"What are you going to do, educate us in the right way to act?" James mocked. Nodoka was unnerved, but held her ground.

"M-Meowth!" she called out. "What is the weak point of your machine?" The Cat Scratch Pokemon laughed even harder.

"Dream on, kiddo!" he chuckled. "Dat stuff's locked away, and da key gone for good!"

"'And I wouldn't live my nine lives out if I told those Twerps that we spent all of our dough on the container, and just have a cheap arm to hold it up.'" Team Rocket's jaws dropped.

"HAH?-!" Meowth gasped. "Dat's what I was thinking just now!"

"Meowth, why did you tell the Twerpette how to beat us?-!" Jessie demanded.

"I didn't! It must have been dat book she's holdin'!"

"Way ta go, Bookworm!" Chamo cheered. Ash knew what to do.

"Heracross, Staraptor, I choose you!" The Single Horn Pokemon and Predator Pokemon were released.

"Hera!"

"Star!"

"Staraptor, use Brave Bird on that arm!" Staraptor shot towards the excavator, becoming coated in a blue glow.

"STAR-RAPTOR!-!" The Predator Pokemon cut through the arm, destroying it. Since the container was now free of the arm, it began to fall to the ground.

"Heracross, catch that container!" Ash ordered.

"Heracross!" Heracross flew over to the container, and grabbed the top. He struggled at first to slow it down, but was able to bring it to a gentle halt. The contact with the ground opened the glass, allowing Pikachu and Yue to go free.

"Oh no!" Team Rocket gasped.

"Heracross, Hyper Beam!"

"Hera-CROSS!-!" Heracross unleashed a violent yellow beam of destruction onto Team Rocket, destroying the rest of their machine, and sending them flying.

"So they have more of those card-waving freaks?-!" Jessie groaned.

"And they can read anyone's minds?-!" James continued.

"Forget that!" Meowth shouted. "They can help da Twerp beat us worse!"

"Wob-bu-wobba!"

"LOOKS LIKE TEAM ROCKET'S BLASTING OFF AGAIN!-!"

"WOBBU…!"

***Ping!**

"Alright, guys!" Ash cheered.

"Pikachu!"

"Star! Staraptor!"

"Hera-cross!"

"I'm glad that Nodoka's artifact is on our side now!" Brock stated. "You helped us a lot there." The bookworm blushed. Her bangs hid her eyes briefly.

"O-Oh, n-no problem…" she stuttered.

"Hey!" The group looked up at Yue. "Are you just going to stay in that hole for the rest of the day, or are you going to get back up?"

"We're coming," Ash called. "Staraptor, Heracross, can you give us a hand?" The two Pokemon, along with Bayleef, began to pull the group out of the pitfall. Brock noticed something.

"You didn't return Bayleef and Heracross back to Professor Oak, Ash," the Breeder noted.

"I just thought that it would be nice to have a rotation of everyone, like in the Sinnoh League," Ash answered. "With the Frontier Brains as strong as they are, all of my Pokemon need a little bit of a tune-up!"

"Bay-Bay!" Bayleef was so happy to hear that, she Body Slammed her trainer…right back into the hole.

"WAUGH!"

**!SLAM!**

"Ash!" Dawn gasped. The others gathered around.

"A-Are you okay?" Nodoka called.

"Y…Y-Yeah…" Ash weakly groaned. "…A little help, Bayleef…?"

"Bay Bay…" Chisame shook her head.

"Seriously, these people are made of titanium or something…" the net idol groaned.

_**To Be Continued…**_

* * *

_For Your Information…_

_Originally, I didn't include the GS Ball into the story. Then I realized how it could help me in the tail end of the story, and contribute to possible fillers if need be!_

_I've finally added a TBC at the end of my stories! ^-^ I'll be adding them to past chapters over the next month or so._

_I've started a Pokemon/Digimon crossover, **Aura and Light**. Why does it get mention in the notes section of DfE? Mufufu…you'll have to wait and see…_

_So we've left the Battle Pyramid behind, and are now headed south to Azalea Town, where Yue hopes to win her first Gym Battle. However, more questions have arisen. What will Nodoka do with the newfound knowledge she's gained? What does the action concerning the mysterious GS Ball pertain to? And who will be the next Frontier Brain that Ash faces? You'll have to wait a bit on those, so read, review, and check out my other stories! Ja ne, people!_

_Ketchum Kid_


	15. Anything But Straight and Narrow

_It's been awhile, I know. College can claim many a life in its workload, and it nearly claimed mine last semester. Had I not gone quiet on the FFN front, it might have just won. Fortunately, it didn't. Now, I can get back to updating my stuff!_

_Even with the long break, we're still in what I dub "__**Season I**__" of __**Deliverance from Evil**__. That is because Season I will have the beginning bits of Ash and Yue's adventure through Johto, as well as lacings of the overall plotline. Season I will end around when the group reaches Goldenrod City…hoo boy. Goldenrod in itself is going to be a huge arc. A lot of things are going to be happening there. Heck, it's probably going to be half of the next Season in of itself. That's going to be fun, to say the least._

_Anyway, you didn't wait half a year just to hear me blabbering, right? Go, read the new chapter. Enjoy, and I'll see you at the bottom!_

* * *

"That new twerpette they have is gonna throw a real wrench into our plans. She'll just read our minds, and then our plans fall to pieces!"

"What are we going do, then? It's not as simple as killing the CrobatMan…"

"Actually, it just might Jimmy. Well, without da killing part."

"What do you mean?"

"We simply make sure dat da Bookworm isn't able ta use dat artifact of hers. And by dat, I mean we make sure she can't move."

"Brilliant idea, Meowth! For once, we have a plan that actually makes perfect sense."

"Wait, whaddya mean?!"

"Fufufu...The twerps won't know what hit them this time…"

* * *

**Chapter XV: Anything but Straight and Narrow**

Our heroes continue their journey to Azalea Town, where Yue hopes to earn her first badge in the Johto League. However, not everyone's mind seemed to be on what the next town would be.

'_So Ash is a hero of this world, a 'Chosen One' as that Mew creature put it. And he seemed to have a strange connection to Yue, which would mean that she is the other person that Mew mentioned, the 'Radiant Magi.' So both of them will have to deal with something big eventually…wait. I've read a lot of books like this. Does that mean that these two…will…f-f-f-?'_

"Nodoka, is something the matter?" Dawn's question startled the Bookworm out of her thoughts. She went red in the face, and shook her head.

"N-No, I'm not falling in love with you, I swear!" The response was met with the strangest looks from Dawn, Piplup, Brock, and Chisame.

"…Hah?" Nodoka blushed wildly, and hid her eyes behind her bangs.

"I-I'm sorry! It's just I-I was thinking about something, a-and it came out…sorry…"

"There's nothing to be sorry about," replied Dawn. "You seemed so out of it, I was worried that you might have something weighing you down."

"Lup-Piplup!" the Penguin Pokemon chirped.

"Knowing you, you're probably worried about Professor Negi, aren't you," Chisame inquired.

"That wasn't what I was thinking…but yeah, I am worried…" Nodoka sighed.

"You know, I've been meaning to ask something," stated Brock. "So far, we've only heard bits and pieces about who Professor Negi is, but not everything about him." Chisame was surprised.

"Huh, I thought Yue might have done that already…"

"She didn't," said Dawn. "All she told us was about what your world is, and the events leading up to you guys coming here." Nodoka, now better composed, and Chisame nodded.

"So, um, what would you like to know?" the Bookworm asked.

"I guess the first place to start would be who your Professor Negi is," Brock stated.

"Professor Negi is our homeroom teacher in Class 3-A, as well as our English professor," began Chisame. "He is actually from Wales in England, not that I think you know where that is in relation to your world, of course. He studied magic there, and is teaching alongside other mages, demons, and creatures of fiction at Mahora Academy, which seems to be a hotbed for such activity. Other than that, I don't see anything special in the kid."

"That's not true!" objected Nodoka. "Professor Negi is very wise and mature for his age, and he-he's the bravest person I know…um…" Nodoka turned red.

"Awwww! Nodoka has a crush on her teacher!" said Dawn. This made Nodoka blush deeper, and Chisame sigh loudly.

"It's not a crush, and she's not the only one to be like that," the redhead stated.

"Huh? What do you mean?" Brock inquired.

"At least a third, likely half of our class – myself not included – seems to be infatuated with Professor Negi, with a few like Nodoka actually holding deep affections to him." Brock and Dawn gasped.

"No way!" the blunette exclaimed. "Isn't that forbidden love or something? I mean, it is students and a young adult!" The two Mahora students sweatdropped.

"Ah…actually, Dawn…" began Nodoka. "…Um…"

"It's more like loving a child than anything else…" Chisame admitted.

"How?" Dawn asked.

"Professor Negi…he's only ten years old." An awkward pause developed. "Um…guys?" Both Brock and Dawn suddenly began to sulk.

"To think I've spent all my teen years going after girls, and this guy gets them practically begging for him before he can even get his own Pokemon…"

"I feel unaccomplished, even as a semifinalist for Top Coordinator…"

"Lup…"

"Hey! Hey! This isn't something to get depressed about!" Chisame urged.

"M-Most of the class only likes Negi because he's a child anyway!" Nodoka stated. Further up the path, Ash looked back. He was with Yue and Chamo a ways ahead on the path, talking about the ins and outs of Azalea Town.

"Wonder what's the commotion back there…" the raven haired trainer wondered.

"Piika…"

"Probably just some exciting story," surmised Chamo. "Anywho, back to what we were discussing. What was the Azalea Gym like?"

"The Azalea Gym is a Bug-Type Pokemon Gym. The Gym Leader uses many strong Bug types, including a Scyther. However, Bug is not a good defensive type. Flying-Type attacks do a lot of damage to them, along with Rock and Fire moves."

"That would mean that Hoothoot would be a great choice for battle," Yue commented.

"Squirtle wouldn't be that bad either, as it isn't weak to Bug. However, I think you may want to find another Pokemon before we reach town." The purplette looked up at Ash.

"Why's that?"

"Well, for one, most Gyms battle using three or more Pokemon. Also, a lot of Bug Pokemon share a second typing. Take Scyther for example; it's also a Flying type, so Electric Pokemon like Pikachu would have a strong advantage over it."

"Pikachu!"

"But it's not like I've found any Pokemon I like," Yue admitted. "The most things we have run into are Sentrets, Pidgeys, and Rattatas. All are good Pokemon in their own right, but they aren't what I'm looking for…." Ash placed a hand on Yue's shoulder.

"Don't worry," he stated. "It's not like a favorite Pokemon is going to pop up right in front of us. It'll take some time before you find it, but it will be sooner than you think, I know it!"

"Pika-Pikachu!" The Electric Mouse Pokemon made a thumbs-up sign.

"Thanks, Ash…" Yue stated.

"Anyway, I hate to interrupt this cute little scene ya two got here, but isn't there something else that we have to do in Azalea? Like getting that GS-thingamajig."

"The GS Ball," Ash corrected. "It's a strange Pokeball that can't be transported using the Pokemon Storage System, and can't be opened by normal means. After I had finished the Pokemon League in Kanto, Professor Oak sent me to the Orange Islands to retrieve the GS Ball from Professor Ivy, and bring it to Kurt, a Pokeball expert in Azalea Town. However, no matter how hard he tried, Kurt couldn't open the Pokeball by the time we left town. I guess even the experts have problems with these things."

"And now those goofballs at Team Rocket want this GS Ball?" Chamo asked. "No offense, Aniki, but I think you alone would be able to take care of a dozen of them." Ash frowned.

"When you talk about the main body of Team Rocket, you aren't referring to what Jessie, James, and Meowth do. Team Rocket is a widespread criminal organization that steals and experiments on Pokemon. I'll admit that they haven't done the worst of the worst, such as reshaping the world into their image, but they do want to run the Pokemon world with an iron fist, given the chance. I've seen enough of their actions to know that you can't mess with them unless you have everything go right for you." He paused, remembering his numerous encounters with the rest of Team Rocket in the past few years. "We've been lucky to be here with all our Pokemon right now. They could have just as easily have been taken and sold on the black market if we'd been caught and robbed." Yue and Chamo looked at the Pokemon Trainer.

"Ash…" The group approached a hillside. To their right, the ground rose up sharply, ending several yards higher at the edge of a forest.

"Well, they aren't here yet, so we should be fine," Chamo declared. "It's not like we're venturing off of the straight and narrow; if we stay on our path, they'll stay on theirs."

The ground opened up beneath them.

"WAUGH?!"

**!CRASH!**

"You had to open your mouth, Chamo…" Ash groaned.

"Oh come on!" the ermine deadpanned. "Did you think I had this planned or somethin'?" The others quickly gathered around the hole.

"Hey Ash! Is everything OK?" Brock called. The trainer got up and dusted himself off.

"We're fine. Just give us a second to get back up."

"You might want to do that sooner than later. Team Rocket's bound to come soon for Pikachu and Yue."

"**That's what you think, Twerp!"** Before anyone could react, a net from above was cast over Nodoka, and was quickly hoisted into the air.

"Kyaaah!"

"Nodoka!" Chisame turned around, followed by Dawn and Brock.

"What?!"

"_**An' here's round two!"**_ A butterfly net was scooped into the hole. It caught the four that were in there, and scooped them into the glass container of a mecha that had butterfly nets for hands, a glass container for the body, and a small control pit at the top.

"Help!"

"No!" groaned Brock."

"A two-pronged attack!" realized Dawn.

"And we fell right for it!" finished Chisame. Team Rocket's balloon floated down into view, as Jessie and James hoisted up Nodoka so that she was level with the balloon basket.

"Prepare for trouble as we divide and conquer!"

"And make it double, since our ruse has!"

"An evil as old at the galaxy!"

"Sent here to fulfill our destiny!"

_"With Meowth, dat's me!"_

"To protect the world from devastation!"

"To unite all people within our nation!"

"To denounce the evils of truth and love!"

"To extend our reach to the stars above!"

"Jessie!"

"James!"

_"And Meowth, now dat's a name!"_

"We're Team Rocket, blasting you off at the speed of light!"

"Surrender now, or prepare to fight!"

_"Meowth! Dat's right!"_

"Wob-bufett!"

"Team Rocket!" Ash scowled. "Let us go right now!"

"Uh-uh-uh!" objected Jessie. "Why would we do that? We have Pikachu and your two twerpy magic friends right in our grasps."

"Not to mention all of the Pokemon you have on you as well!" added James.

"_An' dat would be bad for da plans we have in store for youse guy!" _ Meowth finished, from inside the mecha. _"So let's get da show on da road!" _ He pressed a button, and a cable shot up from the mecha, attaching itself to the Meowth balloon. The balloon was towed to the top of the mecha, becoming the "head" of the machine. Meowth slipped out of the mecha through an escape hatch, and joined Jessie and James inside the balloon.

"And in you go!" Jessie let go of the net holding Nodoka, dropping her into the net of the mecha.

"Wah?!"

"Say, while you're there, make sure you don't try to mind-read us, kay sweetie?" Jessie taunted. Undaunted, Nodoka reached into her pocket, and pulled out her Pactio Card.

"Bad choice, twerp!" James declared. "We've built this robot specifically with you in mind. Meowth!"

"Roger!" The Cat Scratch Pokemon pressed a button on a remote control.

"A-Adeat-AAAA!" The net suddenly began to constrict, pressing Nodoka's arms against her body. Her artifact materialized, but it too was pressed against her body, rendering it useless. Unable to read the diary, Nodoka was forced into curling into a small, tight ball, her artifact jabbing her stomach.

"This totally isn't anything kinky at all," Chisame said dryly.

"What are you doing?!" Brock demanded. "You're hurting her!"

"Stealing Pokemon is one thing, but what you're doing is inhumane!" stated Dawn.

"Oh cry me a river! Do you expect us to let your friend dive into all of our secrets so that they can be used against us?" retorted Jessie.

"This is getting us back onto the same playing terms with you guys!" explained James.

"So we will now witdraw from da game an' take wat's ours!" The balloon began to rise into the air, taking the robot with them. Nodoka continued to squirm in her tight bindings, which were beginning to dig into her skin.

"Brock, we gotta do something!" pleaded Dawn, who took out a Pokeball. Brock nodded, and did the same.

"But what's going to stop them from taking off?" asked Chisame.

"Steelix will! Go! Don't let Team Rocket get away!" The massive Iron Snake Pokemon nodded. Its tail wrapped around the legs of the robot, and gripped firmly. The balloon suddenly jerked to a stop, stuck in place.

"Hey!" James called down. "There's no room for a tagalong like you! Carnivine, I choose you!" The Bug Catcher Pokemon was called out, and quickly returned for James's head. "Just because I chose you doesn't mean you choose me! Attack Steelix with Bullet Seed!" Carnivine reluctantly let go, and headed down towards Steelix.

"Carni-VINE!-!" Mouth open wide, the Bug Catcher Pokemon shout out a stream of seeds at Steelix. The Iron Snake Pokemon growled, unmoving but clearly flinching from the strike.

"Togekiss, I choose you!" Dawn released her Jubilee Pokemon.

"Togekiss!"

"Use Aura Sphere!" Togekiss made a loop in the air, and then fired a blue ball of aura at Carnivine, hitting it dead on.

"Yanmega, take down these twerps now!" Jessie joined the fight, calling upon her Oger Darner Pokemon. As this was going on, Ash and Yue could only watch from inside of their glass prison. They had a clear view of both the battle and of Nodoka, the latter of which had the bibilomaniac's attention.

"We need to do something!" The purplette stated, her tone betraying her otherwise plain expression. "I can't just sit here and watch Nodoka be like that!" Chamo had an idea.

"Hey, bro, don't you have a partner that can help break us free of this joint? I'm pretty sure fire can melt glass."

"Of course!" Ash realized. He took out a Pokeball. "Infernape, I choose you!" Ash called out his trusted Fire-Type Pokemon.

"In-fer!"

"Infernape, use Flamethrower to melt the glass!"

"Fer! In-FE-NAPE!" The glass only reflected the streaming fire attack for only a second. Then, the flames bore through the glass, cutting a hole that was more than twice Ash's size.

"Alright!" Ash called.

"Pikachu!"

"Now we can get out of here!" Chamo declared. But Yue shook her head.

"I'm going up and getting Nodoka free," she said.

"What?-!" exclaimed Chamo. "Are you nuts, sister? How do you expect to get up there?" The purplette turned to Infernape.

"Do you think you can get me up there?" she asked. The Flame Pokemon nodded.

"Are you sure about this?" Ash asked. Yue nodded.

"Nodoka's my closest friend. She was the person who helped me open up and participate in Mahora Academy after my grandfather passed away. Pun aside, I'm not going to leave her hanging there if I can change that."

"Then I won't stop you," the raven haired trainer stated.

"Just make sure you're able to catch us if we fall."

"I'll make sure of it." Ash turned to his Pokemon. "Infernape, get Yue up to Nodoka."

"Fer!"

"Okay," Chamo stated. "Wait, hold up! I'm still in Yue's pock-EEETTTT!-!" With one willing and one unwilling passenger, Infernape took Yue into his arms. The Flame Pokemon then jumped out onto Steelix, who was not far below them, and then began leaping from ledge to ledge, platforming the mecha until they were on the shoulderblade of the robot. It was then that Jessie spotted them.

"No you don't! Seviper, use bite!" Infernape turned around to see a Pokeball erupt in light, which transformed into a black snake that was barreling towards him, fangs first. Wasting no time, Infernape turned and chucked Yue over to the net, just before the Fang Snake Pokemon clamped onto the Fllame Pokemon's leg, yanking the two of them off the robot.

"Aaah!" Yue was able to grab ahold of the netting, barely able to hang on because of its tight hold of Nodoka. "Hold on, Nodoka! I'm going to break you free!" She took a Pokeball of her own. "Hoothoot, I need you now!" The Owl Pokemon was called out, and began flapping its wings beside the bag.

"Hoothoot!"

"Use Peck Attack to cut the ropes!" Hoothoot nodded, and began to peck at the netting. "Chamo, make yourself useful and bite the netting!"

"You expect me to do something as undignified as that?" the Ermine stated incredulously. However, he complied, and began gnawing at the netting. Yue began to pull at the places that they were weakening the net, pulling the ropes apart. Meanwhile, Ash and Pikachu had hopped out of the robot, and were now running down Steelix, making a break for the others.

"It's a prison break!" Meowth declared. "We've lost every one of our prisoners!"

"Then we'll just have to get them back!" Jessie stated. "Seviper, use Poison Tail! Yanmega, use Steel Wing!" The two Pokemon charged downward, charging their attacks. Ash reached the ground and turned around.

"Pikachu, use Thunderbolt!"

"Togekiss, use Air Slash!" Dawn ordered. The two Pokemon nodded. Pikachu fired an electric bolt at Seviper and Yanmega, while Togekiss slashed the air with its wings, sending shockwaves at Carnivine. All three Pokemon were pushed into the basket of the Meowth Balloon, electrocuting Team Rocket.

"AYEYYAEYEAYEYYAYAEYEAY!" Brock noticed that the burner on the balloon was beginning to spark.

"Steelix, let go of the robot and go for Yue and Nodoka!" he ordered. But it was too late.

**!BOOM!**

Just as Nodoka had been freed, and was climbing out of the net, the burner exploded, taking the robot with it in a cataclysmic show of smoke and electricity. Team Rocket, Yue, Nodoka, and Chamo were all sent flying; Team Rocket to the sky, and the others into a nearby wooded area.

"So who are we blaming this time?" Jessie pondered.

"Hows about you, for dat reckless charge at the end?" proposed Meowth.

"I say it was Meowth, for skimping on the robot parts so that we could use the balloon instead!" accused James.

"Well, I say it was you, James, for not making a bigger lunch today!" Jessie declared.

"What's that/dat have to/ta do with this/dis?!" the other two asked.

"Wobbu…wabb…"

"LOOKS LIKE TEAM ROCKET'S BLASTING OFF AGAIN!-!"

"WOOOBBBBBAAAAA!"

***!PING!***

"AAAHHH!-!" Yue, Nodoka, and Chamo went a significant distance into the woods, disappearing quickly from sight.

"Yue!" Ash called out. "Nodoka!" The trainer turned to Brock. "What happened?"

"That Thunderbolt Attack destroyed the burner on their hot air balloon!" the Breeder exclaimed. "It must have caught the robot up in it too."

"Pika…" Pikachu became depressed, thinking that he was the cause of their sudden predicament.

Chisame walked over to Pikachu, and crouched down to the Electric Mouse Pokemon's level. "Hey, you got Team Rocket away with that, and got Nodoka out of immediate danger. I'm sure they would have wanted to get blown away like that again if given the choice to do so."

"Piplup! Pip-piplup pip!" concurred Piplup, who went over to Pikachu, and gave him a pat on the back. Hearing these words made Pikachu feel a little better, if only slightly.

"Now the problem is how we're going to reach them," noted Brock. They looked up the cliff. It was far too steep to be able for them to climb it.

"We better send some of our Pokemon up there," suggested Dawn. "It'll be a while for us to get around to getting up there." Ash nodded, and took out one of his Pokeballs.

"Heracross, I choose you!" The Single Horn Pokemon appeared in the air.

"Heracross!"

"Heracross, go into the woods up there and find Yue, Nodoka, and Chamo. We'll catch up when we can, so circle around when you find them unless they're in trouble."

"You too, Togekiss," Dawn ordered. "I'm counting on you."

"Cross!/Toge!" The two Pokemon took off, heading directly over the woods in the direction that their friends flew off in. Meanwhile, Ash and Brock recalled Infernape and Steelix, respectively.

"So, how should we head off?" Chisame asked. Brock pointed behind her. A small path curved away from the main route at the end of the cliff, and began climbing up a nearby hill.

"I'll bet that path we just passed leads up to the woods," he presumed. "We can take it up there and cut into the heart of the forest."

"Great thinking, Brock!" Ash stated. "Let's go!" With that, the four (plus Pikachu) took off down the path. Ash seemed to be running the hardest. Even though the events were out of his control, he still felt a little guilty about the situation, being the one who ordered the electric attack.

'_Yue, Nodoka, Chamo. Don't worry; we're coming to get you, I promise!'_

* * *

**!CRASH!**

**!SNAP!**

**!THUD!**

"Ow!" Yue and Nodoka crashed to the forest floor with a loud thud. Fortunately for them, the trees above, while painful to go through, had slowed their fall, and had allowed the two to make sure they didn't land in a way where they could get seriously injured. That didn't mean it didn't hurt, however.

"Nodoka, are you alright?" Yue asked.

"I-I'm fine," the Bookworm replied. "But I don't see where Chamo landed."

"That's because I'm in a machosist's dream right now," an irate Chamo deadpanned from underneath Nodoka's bottom. "Now please get off me, I can't breathe!"

"Eh?!" Nodoka quickly stood up. "S-Sorry, Chamo!" Chamo took in a deep breath of fresh air.

"Fwaaaah, that's better! No problem, Sister!" The Ermine looked around. "Looks like we got blasted a good ways away from everyone." A feeble hoot was heard from behind them. The three turned around, and saw Yue's Hoothoot, wobbling back and forth on its one foot. The Owl Pokemon looked rather battered from the explosion.

"Hoothoot!" Yue hustled over to her Pokemon. "Are you okay?"

"Hoo…Hoothoot…"

"You were great out there. I'll make sure Brock gets some medicine on you as soon as we meet back up with him. For now, take a rest." The purplette pulled out Hoothoot's Pokeball, and recalled the Pokemon to safety. She sighed, looking at Hoothoot's Pokeball.

"Something wrong, Yuecchi?" Chamo asked.

"I don't like seeing any one of my Pokemon get hurt," Yue explained. "Think of it. We're not from this world. Eventually, we're going to have to give these Pokemon up so that they can continue on with their lives, and not live alone and isolated from society at Mahora Academy. Think of it; if we brought Pokemon to Mahora Academy, there would be more of a firestorm than if the existence of magic was exposed." Chamo pulled out a cigar.

"That may be true, but they have chosen to go on that path. Remember back to when you were choosing your first Pokemon, and you used your magic to make sure that they knew what they were getting into?"

* * *

_Flashback_

_Yue kneeled down near Squirtle. "You weren't scared by my magic just then?" The Tiny Turtle Pokemon shook its head._

_"Squirt. Squirtle, squirt-squirt."_

_"I'm journeying to find my friends, who are most likely scattered around the world. They all have abilities similar to mine. Can you help me on my quest to find them?"_

_Squirtle thought about what she had just said, before getting a determined look in his eyes. "Squirt," he nodded. A small smile formed on the Baka Ranger's lips._

_"Thank you," she said._

_End Flashback_

* * *

"When Squirtle chose you as its trainer, he chose to join into this situation. Hoothoot chose to come along as well, as far as I know about the circumstances that happened at the time. Yuecchi, it's not that you're choosin' for them to join us, it's them who are choosin' to help us." Yue thought about this.

"U-Um, I'm not sure if this is relevant or not," Nodoka stated. "But the Pyramid King did tell me something about the relationship between Pokemon and people..."

* * *

_Flashback_

"_Electivire is unable to battle, Regirock wins! The victor of this match is the Pyramid King Brandon!" Nodoka had studied the match between Brandon and the challenger, Paul, intensely. Well, it wasn't really a match. Paul had been overmatched from the start, only being barely able to take down Brandon's Dusclops, while losing all six of his Pokemon. Like Yue, she was intrigued by the way that Pokemon seemed to fight alongside people, but wasn't sure why they did so._

'_Oh well…I did promise Lenora that I would help her at the ruins today, so I better get going now.' She got up from the bleachers, and walked over to the exit. Her route had her pass by Paul, who was not too happy with the result of the battle._

"_Tch!" he grunted. Having lost to Brandon once before had been infuriating enough, but having to bow down to the Pyramid King twice was downright humiliating to him. "Electivire, return!" He recalled his Pokemon into its Pokeball. He stared intently at the Pokeball. "Next time, you better beat him, or else."_

"_Or else what?" Despite her lack of knowledge about Pokemon, Nodoka did know that berating was not the way to get the best result out of someone or something. Nodoka had noticed that he had been muttering to his Pokemon after they fell in battle, and hearing what the nature of those conversations were struck a nerve with the Bookworm. "I saw you muttering to your Pokemon during the battle. Electivire and your other Pokemon all fought for you to try and beat Brandon, and all you do is berate them? What way is that to get the best out of them? I may not be from this world, but I do know that you have to treat all living beings with respect and kindness!" Paul glared at the purplette, quickly evaporating all of the girl, confidence. "U-Uh, sorry!"_

"_How I conduct my training and my Pokemon is of no importance to you," he said sternly. "Why should you know better? You don't even have Pokemon on you! And what's this about not being from here?"_

"_**NOOOO!"**_

_"Hiee!-!" Nodoka squealed, startled at Brandon's sudden outburst._

"_Huh?" Paul turned around, looking in the direction of where the Pyramid King was._

"_It may be of no importance to you, but it is of me, especially if you chastise my newest assistant. It seems that even though Cynthia herself has told you about how to be a Pokemon Trainer, you still fail to grasp the very heart of what a Pokemon Trainer is. Throughout history, Pokemon and people have shown a yearning to go on adventures. Wouldn't you agree that explorations are the grandest of adventures? Your own wits! Your own strength! Your own Pokémon! And, above all, only your courage to lead you through unknown worlds. That is what a Pokemon Trainer is, Paul: the pinnacle of what an exploration is. That is why Pokemon and people join forces and become stronger."_

"_That may be what your belief is about Pokemon Trainers," Paul commented. "But I wish to find out what being a Pokemon Trainer is for myself." He bowed, and then left._

_End Flashback_

* * *

"You took on Paul?" Chamo stated. "Man, that's guts, sister!" Nodoka was confused.

"Huh? You know this person?" The ermine sweatdropped.

"Er…sort of….He apparently has a history with Ash though…" Nodoka looked over at her friend.

"I-I'm not sure if that is truly what a Pokemon Trainer is," Nododka admitted. "S-Sorry if I confused you, Yue."

"No, it's fine," Yue stated. "In fact, if you combine that with what Chamo said, then I get my understanding of what a Pokemon Trainer is. Thank you." She looked at Hoothoot's Pokeball again, before placing it on her belt. "We're all in this together, Squirtle, Hoothoot, and even Ash, Dawn, and Brock. We're using the Pokemon League challenge to find our friends and get back home. None of us can back down at the slightest struggle, or we might never make it in time."

"Now that you have your confidence back, how's about finding a way to get us out of this forest?" asked Chamo. "After all, we can't do any of these objectives if we can't find our way out of this – GWAH?!" A black streak shot out of a nearby bush, stomped on Chamo's head, and darted away.

"W-What was that?!" Nodoka gasped.

"I…I dunno…" Chamo groaned. "Gimmie the…license plate…number…" Yue had been quick to get out her Pokedex. She scanned in the direction the creature had gone. What came up was a picture of a small black dog, with an orange belly and bone-like structures on its back and head.

*HOUNDOUR, THE DARK POKEMON. HOUNDOUR TRAVEL IN PACKS AND COMMUNICATE THOUGH BARKS IN ORDER TO SURROUND THEIR PREY. THIS POKEMON'S REMARKABLE TEAMWORK IS UNPARALLELED AMONG ALL OTHER POKEMON.*

"Houndour…" A series of barks were heard from the direction that the Houndour had gone.

"S-Sound's like they're after something…" noted Nodoka. There was a slight quiver in her voice.

"Well, it's not our problem to find out. Our business is to get out of these woods and get back to Chiu-Chiu and the others. We are lost, after all," reminded Chamo. Yue stared in the direction of the barks.

"'My own wits…my own strength…'"

"Eh?" Chamo wondered. "What's up, Yuecchi?"

"I'm going to see what that Houndour is doing," Yue declared.

"What?!" Chamo was flabbergasted. "And what are you supposed to do? With only one Pokemon, how is a rookie trainer supposed to go up against a pack of wild animals?"

"If I don't take chances like this, I'll never be anything but a Pokemon Trainer," Yue stated. With that, she began walking in the direction that the Houndour had went in.

"Humph!" Chamo snorted. "Well, I'm staying here! After all, when you're lost and waiting to be rescued, your chances of being discovered are higher if you wait in one place, right Nodoka?" He looked to his right, only to see the Bookworm following Yue deeper into the woods. "Nodoka?!"

"Sorry, Chamo," Nodoka apologized. "But it would be safer if we stick together, and Yue is the only one who has Pokemon."

"Um…gee…ah, screw it! WAIT FOR ME!-!" Chamo hurried to catch up with them, not wanting to be left to fend for himself in the mysterious forest.

* * *

"Yue!" called Ash.

"Nodoka!" Dawn shouted.

"Piplup Pip!"

"Answer if you can hear us!" Brock said.

"Pi-ka Pi-ka!"

"Why am I the one who has to call out to Chamo?" Chisame grumbled, as the group walked through the forest. "He's not the one who I'm concerned with."

"Why's that?" Brock inquired. "You have the most faith in him?"

"No," the net idol answered. "He's the one that we generally care the least about. It's Yue and Nodoka I'm worried of. Yue may have two Pokemon and a little magic training on her person, but that doesn't leave me comfortable about having her inside this forest that we know nothing about. Nodoka doesn't have anything on her that could be used to defend herself." The redhead paused. "If something was to happen to them before we met with Professor Negi, I wouldn't know what he'd do."

"Sounds like you care a lot about your classmates," Ash surmised. This placed Chisame in an awkward position.

"Um…ah…n-not really…." she admitted. "Actually, I was dragged into this situation, so to speak…"

"Regardless if you are or not, being on a Pokemon journey can change things," stated Brock. "Trust me, I've been traveling with Ash ever since he defeated me when he was first starting out as a Pokemon Trainer. I've seen him grow into someone who could handle himself in battle, and I've seen him successfully teach May and Dawn, two starting trainers at the time we met them, into accomplished Pokemon Coordinators."

"Aw, Brock…It's not like I taught them much…" Ash said with modesty.

"You taught me how to properly catch a Pokemon," Dawn said. "I was hopeless before you began to show me the ropes."

"Lup Piplup!" The Penguin Pokemon placed a fin on his chest, as if to agree with Dawn. This was not met with the best response.

"And what's that supposed to mean?!" his trainer retorted.

"Piiiii!

"And I can see that Yue is now the third person who's picking up on Ash's habits," Brock finished.

"What do you mean?" Chisame asked.

"When we first met Yue, she was all about asking questions, not taking much risk unless she knew what was going to happen. She studied all that she could about Pokemon and their interactions with us, which led her to becoming a Pokemon Trainer. Now, she's beginning to take risks without knowing much about the reward or danger. Look what she did when Team Rocket had captured Nodoka. She took off to save her, even at the risk of injury to herself. That sounds a lot like Ash, running recklessly into danger on impulse." Ash sweatdropped.

"Um, can you use something other than reckless, Brock?" he asked.

"Chu…"

"You do have a point," Chisame admitted. "I think it might be mixed in with her current fascination with the Magical World, however. Ever since we got back from Kyoto, she's been unusually active outside of the Library Exploration Club. It probably centers on Professor Negi's presence, too; I've seen her get a little soft around him."

"Is he that great of a teacher, your Professor that is?" Dawn asked.

"A great teacher, hardly," Chisame said. "But a great inspirer and leader…he just might be, if the rest of the class is anything to go by." With that, the group continued their search through the forest.

* * *

Yue, Nodoka, and Chamo peered out from a bush, about a hundred feet away from where a pack of Houndours were circling. In the center of the circle was a pink, bipedal sheep, with wool only around its head and neck. It was rather injured, and the blue orb on the end of its tail was weakly glowing.

"Flaaf…flaaf…"

"From one new Pokemon to another…" Nodoka stated.

"Hey Yuecchi, do ya think Dex'll tell us about this thing?"

"It should…" Yue took out the Pokedex again.

*FLAFFY, THE WOOL POKEMON. FLAFFY IS THE EVOLVED FORM OF MAREEP. FLAFFY'S FLUFFY FLEECE EASILY STORES ELECTRICITY THAT IS USED FOR ITS ELECTRICAL ATTACKS. ITS RUBBERY HIDE KEEPS IT FROM BEING ELECTROCUTED.* The Pokedex entry was rather loud, and attracted the attention of the Houndour. Half of them turned around, and began to stalk their unexpected visitors.

"Great job, Yuecchi!" Chamo exclaimed. "You're Pokedex blew our cover sky-high!"

"M-Me?!" Yue blurted incredulously. "You were the one who asked for the Pokedex in the first place!"

"Can we please stop arguing about whose fault this is before they attack us?!" Nodoka cried. The first Houndour began charging at the three.

"Squirtle, Tackle Attack, go!" Yue released her starter Pokemon.

"Squirtle!" Squirtle began to run at Houndour. The two Pokemon leapt, and connected at the apex of their jumps. Squirtle seemed to overpower the opposing Houndour, as the Dark Pokemon was forced back by the attack.

"Hou-hou! AWROOO!-!" This was the signal for the other Houndour of their half-pack to attack. About a dozen Houndours began charging at the three.

"Bubble Attack!" Squirtle quickly inhaled, and blew out a stream of bubbles at the surge of Pokemon. Two Houndours were forced back, but most of the pack still charged at them.

"S-Squirtle can't hold them off alone at his current level!" Nodoka gasped.

"One-on-one's fine, but not against a whole pack!" Yue realized.

"We're toast!" Chamo exclaimed.

"**Hera-CROSS!"** Out of the sky, Heracross shot down, launching a devastating Horn Attack on several of the Houndours, before stopping in front of the trio.

"Heracross!" Yue gasped.

"Hou!" One of the Houndours opened its mouth, unleashing a Flamethrower attack. Before it could connect with Heracross, Togekiss came zooming in, and fired an Aura Sphere attack. The Aura Sphere fought back the Flamethrower, and exploded on the Houndour half-pack, knocking them all out.

"Togekiss!" Nodoka stated.

"Perfect timing, you too!" exclaimed rest of the pack took notice of the sudden help. They abandoned their stalk of Flaffy, and went to help out their fallen pack.

"Cross! Hera-hero Cross!"

"Kiss!" Togekiss took back to the skies, quickly leaving in order to find the others.

"Let's show these ruffians a what-for!" urged Chamo. Yue took out her Pokedex again, and scanned Heracross for its moves.

"Squirtle, Bubble Attack! Heracross, Hyper Beam!" The two Pokemon reared back their heads, and unleashed their attacks. The Bubble attack converged with the Hyper Beam, and merged before exploding at the point of contact with the Houndour pack. Smoke and dust was kicked up, but it dissipated within a few seconds. Most of the Houndours were hurt by the attack, and, tails between their legs, all began to retreat away from the scene.

"Good job, you two!" praised Yue.

"Squirtle squirt!"

"Hera!"

"Yeah! I knew we would win, right from the start!" Chamo cheered.

"Um, but weren't you the one who said 'We're toast!' before?"

"Ah, I don't know what you're talking about, sis." Yue headed over to where the Flaffy was. The Wool Pokemon didn't seem to have the strength to walk far, as it had stayed and watched the fight, even after the Houndour had left it.

"Hey, we'll go and get something to heal you, so stay here, okay?" Flaffy nodded, and lay on the ground. Yue began quickly looking around, searching the trees for anything that would be of help.

"What are you looking for, Yue?" asked Nodoka.

"Brock told me once that good medicine isn't always sold at the markets," the purplette explained. "Sometimes, you can find it growing right next to you, like Pecha Berries, Salveo Weed, and-?" Yue spotted a tree, which had a bountiful collection of fruit hanging off its branches. "Oran Berries!"

Ash, Chisame, Dawn, and Brock were running furiously, pounding the grass as they followed Togekiss through the trees into the heart of the forest.

"Are you sure that they are this way, Togekiss?" Dawn called out.

"Toge Togekiss!" the Jubilee Pokemon chirped.

"Let's hope that they aren't hurt!" said Chisame. They reached a clearing, and burst out into the open light.

"Yue! Nodoka!" Ash shouted.

"Pika Pikachu!" Yue, who was by the Oran Berry tree, turned around.

"Huh? What's the matter?" Instead of seeing them panicked, the four saw Yue and Nodoka, calm as can be, picking Oran Berries out of a tree. On the ground, the berries were quickly being scooped up by Squirtle, Flaffy, Hoothoot, Chamo, and, to a lesser extent, Heracross. Flaffy and Hoothoot looked much better, and most of their wounds were gone.

"Ummm…are you guys okay?" Chisame asked.

"We're as fine as we can be!" said Chamo. "Ran into a pack of Houndour, but it was nothin' that Heracross and Squirtle couldn't handle." The four gasped.

"A pack of Houndour?" Brock asked. "You took on a couple of dozen wild Pokemon by yourselves?!"

"Well, we did have help from Heracross and Togekiss," admitted Nodoka. The two aforementioned Pokemon chirped in agreement.

"It's a good thing we sent them to look for you as well," Ash stated.

"Pika Pika."

"Why'd you get tangled with the Houndour in the first place?" Dawn wondered.

"There was this Flaffy that was being attacked by them," Yue explained. "I couldn't just stand by and do nothing."

"Really?" The bluenette then saw the Flaffy. "Aww…what a cutie!" Flaffy turned around, and saw Dawn walking up towards it. The Wool Pokemon jumped back, and hid behind Yue's leg.

"Flaffy, these are friends of ours," Yue explained. "There's nothing to be shy about in front of them." Flaffy looked up at Yue, then cautiously approached Dawn. The bluenette carefully petted the Wool Pokemon, which slowly began to warm up to her. Piplup and Pikachu scurried over to Flaffy, and began to converse with it too.

"Wow, Yue," Ash commented. "So I'm guessing that you caught Flaffy, considering how attached Flaffy is to you?" Yue shook her head.

"No, I only healed it." Flaffy, however, scurried back to Yue's side, and began cozying up to the purplette's leg.

"Flaf-f-f-fy!" the Wool Pokemon bleated. Brock laughed.

"It seems that Flaffy has other ideas," he chuckled.

"Flaffy, do you want to travel with us?" asked Yue. "We're not just traveling for Gym Badges; I have some friends I need to find as well."

"Flaffy Flaf!" the Wool Pokemon exclaimed, nodding its head. "Flaffy Flaf-Flaf Flaffy!"

"She's sayin' that since you helped her so much against the Houndour pack, she wants to return the favor," translated Chamo.

"I still don't understand how you're able to communicate with Pokemon," said Nodoka.

"Must be because we're animals or somethin', I dunno."

"Alright," Yue nodded. She pulled out an empty Pokeball from her pocket. Flaffy actually leapt up, and tapped the Pokeball, triggering its capture. Two shakes and a click later, and Flaffy was caught.

"Right," she said. "Welcome to the team, Flaffy!"

"Alright!" Ash cheered.

"Pi-Pikachu!"

"Squirtle Squirt!"

"Hoothoot!"

"So that's your third Pokemon already," Dawn noted. "You're already halfway to a full Pokemon team!"

"Piplup!"

"That should make the next Gym Battle much easier for you, since you now have three Pokemon to work with," stated Brock.

"Right," agreed Yue. "And once I get my first badge, that brings us one step closer with reuniting with Professor Negi and the rest of our class!"

* * *

Team Rocket looked in front of them. All three were scraped up from their crash landing, having fallen back t Earth somewhere near Azalea Town. Their once proud robot-balloon was now a mess of scrap metal and tarpaulin.

"Well, we screwed up…again…" Jessie sighed.

"Wonder what the boss is going to say when we ask for more money…" James pondered. "Even though we have open funds to catch the two magical girls, he's not going to be happy to see that we need more money…"

"I don' even wanna hear da sound of his voice when wese have ta call him 'bout this…" Meowth groaned. The three let off a collective sigh.

"Well, who cares?" Jessie declared, suddenly pumped with energy. "We've had bigger blunders, and still remained in the organization in spite of that!"

"Besides, we were the ones to colonize Hoenn and Sinnoh for the good of Team Rocket!" James stated, filled with the same energy. "They can't just throw us out like that; we're pioneers!"

"An' if Groudon, Kyogre, Dialga, and Palkia can't keep us down fer good, den nothin' can!" finished Meowth. "Da Boss is countin' on us, an' we can't let him be disappointed in us!"

"One for all, and all for one! Team Rocket's mission's never done!" the three declared joyously.

"**Did you three say Team Rocket?"** Their celebration was cut short when a man stepped out from the brush.

"And who's asking?!" Jessie demanded. The man appeared to be from Team Rocket, but he was dressed completely different from Jessie and James. He wore a black outfit, with white boots and sleeved gloves that had a red band at their end. Over the usual Team Rocket top was a black jacket with a puffed-up collar and yellow bands, and on his waist was a loose-fitting metal belt. He had bright greenish-blue hair, which was shaped like a sideways axe head.

"Wah!" James yelped. "Jess, I know this guy! He's one of the toughest people to ever be in the service of Team Rocket!"

"J-J-James's right!" Meowth agreed, trembling in fear. Jessie looked at the man. He glared back at her with icy green eyes.

"W-Well, I do have to admit…I do recognize you from some portrait back at headquarters…" Jessie stated.

"So you have heard of me," the man noted. "Yes, I am often labeled as the scariest and cruelest guy in Team Rocket. But that is because that is how I operate. In life, you must be able to go back on what you stand, and must be able to do whatever it takes to advance your goals."

"Whatever…it takes…?" Jessie repeated. All three Team Rocket members were now more than a little nervous around this person.

"Yes. That is my philosophy as to how to complete my missions that are tasked to me. In fact, I am in a mission at this very moment, and could use your assistance…"

**To Be Continued…**

* * *

_For Your Information…_

_I actually lost half of this chapter when I permanently misplaced my old flash drive. Fortunately, the new product is actually more to my liking than the old one._

_Originally, Yue was to catch a Mareep. I feel that the Flaffy line fits Yue perfectly. Not only is Flaffy an adept and appealing Pokemon, Mareep and Flaffy remind me a lot of Nodoka. I'm not sure if this happens to anyone else, but that's...the impression that I get (music reference FTW)._

_So Team Rocket, and I mean the Team Rocket that actually does stuff, is on the move. Will we see them in action next chapter? Or will something or someone else come in the group's way? And what of the rest of the Class 3-A diaspora? Find out next chapter, so review, subscribe, and stay tuned. Thanks for being patient with me, and ja ne!_

_Ketchum Kid_


	16. The Fortress of the Devil

_You guys may remember, back when I wasn't updating as fast as I am now, there were a certain pair of chapters involving Lavender Town. Those were the darkest chapters I've ever penned, and very well may be the darkest I ever will write. This chapter doesn't go to that degree, but as you're about to find out, it goes a good ways down that road. I hope you enjoy the beginning of the Azalea Arc, and I'll see you at the bottom._

* * *

**Chapter XVI: The Fortress of the Devil**

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"…**it**…**as**…**pu**…."

"**Loo**…**he**…**breathing**…."

"**Inform**…**rot**….**he**…**o**…**ow**…"

"…**ger**…**Hail**…."

Slowly, Ash was beginning to get a grip on reality again. He still had yet to open his eyes, but his other four senses were returning to him. The cool air around him chilled his damp skin, and it felt as if something was on his wrists. However, the Pokemon Trainer was not concerned about these things; being alive and getting his bearings were his biggest priorities now.

"**Can yo**…**hear me**?" a woman's voice asked. Ash's eyes slowly opened, and saw that he was in what looked like a laboratory. He seemed to be on a metal table, and was being tended to by a woman in a lab coat.

"Y…yeah…" Ash replied. "How…How's Yu…ue…?"

"If you mean your friend, she's right next to you," the woman replied. "I'm still surprised that you two have made it back to the living. Very few people fall into the underground streams around here and live to tell about it."

"That's good…" Ash said, smiling a little.

"It's a good thing you've awoken too," the woman added. "The boss would much rather have live prisoners to steal from then corpses to loot and bury." Ash's heart skipped a beat.

'_Wait, prisoners?!'_ Ash snapped his eyes open, and sat up. He found that the feeling around his wrists was that of handcuffs. He shot a look to Yue; she was out cold, breathing normally, and also had handcuffs around her wrist. In addition, she also didn't have any of her Pokemon on her. Ash looked at his belt; his Pokemon had been taken too.

"Who are you?!" the Pokemon Trainer demanded. "And where are our Pokemon?!" The scientist merely smirked.

"Fufufu…if we told you where your Pokemon were, Team Rocket wouldn't be as successful as it is, now would it?" Ash was taken aback.

"Team Rocket?!"

"Yes. Now be a good boy, and wait here with your girlfriend while I brief the mission leader." Ash blushed slightly at this statement. The scientist walked out of the room, the door closing behind her, and began to speak with a man who was outside.

'_How'd we get mixed up with these guys?'_ Ash wondered. To answer this requires a bit of backtracking…

* * *

_A few hours ago..._

Union Cave is the only way to easily head to Azalea Town by foot from the east of Johto. Underground streams formed the cavernous insides, before the water receded to the point that a navigable pathway was possible. The water that was left in the cave, however, was fast moving, and very cold. Landslides due to water erosion were very prominent, and placed both man and Pokemon in grave danger. Very few Pokemon were able to tolerate the cold temperatures, and many a trainer was lost after being sucked up in the currents. However, it was a trainer's choice to risk going through the cave, or spend two weeks taking the safe path around the mountains.

Ash, Yue, and the rest of group had chosen speed over safety, and decided to go through the caves. It wasn't a unanimous decision; in fact, it seemed to rest on the bibliomaniac as to which way they decided to take.

"I'm telling you, Yue, we didn't go through this route to get to Azalea Town when we first went through here," Ash tried to explain. "It's too dangerous to go through the cave."

"Chuu…"

"We need to get to Azalea Town as fast as we can, and the fastest route is through this cave. While it is much safer going the other way, we also lose two weeks that could be spent getting word out to Negi and the others," Yue pointed out. "Time is of the essence for you too, right? Team Rocket could take the GS Ball at any moment."

"I'm certain that Kurt and the Gym Leaders have a good handle on the situation until our arrival," he assured. "It will be in trouble if we don't get out of here in one piece."

"Relax, Ash; I'm sure we'll be fine getting through here. Our luck's held out so far."

"It could go at any moment, though."

"Misty did tell me that you happen to be a magnet for good things to happen around you."

"…she did?" Further behind them, much like yesterday, the others stood back. Instead of carrying on their own conversation, they were intent on the back and forth between the two.

"What did I tell you? Yue's feeding off of Ash," stated Brock.

"More like they're both feeding off each other," Chamo noted. "Sheesh, I haven't seen these two go at words of war…well, never!"

"I agree with Chamo," concurred Dawn. "Ash may have been a good teacher, but he was never one for common sense. To see him arguing about taking a longer path is certainly something I've never seen out of him."

"You guys weren't there when we passed on our first time through this town, though," Brock explained. "Originally, Ash was all for going through the cave. However, as soon as we reached the entrance, an Officer Jenny was blocking the way. She told us that part of the path had given way under a group of trainers, and that the cave was off-limits until they found what happened to them. Not only were we forced to go around, but Ash lost all of his enthusiasm for going through the cave." He paused, letting the information sink in. "I believe they found the bodies of those trainers a few days later miles from the landslide." A chilling silence fell over the group, punctuated only by the back and forth between Ash and Yue ahead of them, and the sound of the rushing river below them on their right.

"…And I'm guessing these were trainers who had just started out on their tenth birthdays?" Chisame finally asked. Brock nodded. "Sheesh, that's some bad chance for everyone involved."

"I think that was around the time that Ash began to really mature as a person," recalled the Pokemon Breeder, "so there is something good that was made out of it."

"If you can say that something good can be made out of the deaths of innocent Pokemon Trainers…" Dawn said with remorse. "The poor things…"

"We should be fine, though, if we walk carefully through the route, right?" Chamo asked.

"Hopefully…" Dawn noticed that Nodoka was looking at the ceiling. "Nodoka, what's up?"

"I'm wondering that myself," the Bookworm admitted. "What are those things?" The group looked up. Ahead, hanging on the ceiling, was a large group of blue bat-like creatures. Some of the bats were larger than the others.

"Not good…" Brock warned, his voice suddenly hushed. "Those are Zubat and Golbat."

"If I can make an observation, they are bats," Chisame whispered.

"A-Are they aggressive?" asked Nodoka. Brock shook his head.

"As long as we're quiet, they shouldn't bother us." That was when the trouble began. Further up, Ash and Yue were not paying much attention to where they were walking. They didn't notice the small rut in the path until they had stepped into it, and lost their balance.

"Woah!" Ash wobbled forward, then jerked back to regain his balance. This action threw Pikachu off of his shoulder. The Electric Mouse Pokemon flew to the ground, only to have his tail stepped on by Yue.

"PIIIIII! CHUUUUU!" The involuntary reaction for Pikachu was to launch an electrical attack, zapping Yue.

"Ayah!" the Baka Ranger exclaimed, quickly getting off the Electric Mouse Pokemon's tail. The sudden commotion had disturbed the Zubat and Golbat colony. Within seconds, hundreds, if not thousands, of glowing eyes filled up the cavern.

Chamo looked at Brock. "Hey, Brocko?"

"Yeah?"

"Keep your mouth shut next time we're in one of these situations." The colony took flight all at the same time, swooping all around the group of trainers and students.

"G-Get them away!" stammered Nodoka.

"How are we supposed to get through with this hoard flying around?-!" Chisame shouted.

"Just stay where you are!" ordered Brock. "With all these bats, they could push us near the edge of the cliff!" Yue looked behind her. She was already at the edge of the path. Thirty feet straight down was the raging current. A trickle of sweat ran down her forehead.

"Yue!" Ash's warning came seconds late. A Zubat brushed right by the purplette's face, sending her staggering backwards. One of her feet left the ground, and she began to fall backwards.

"Woa-wah!" she yelped.

"I've got you!" The raven haired trainer rushed over to Yue, and grabbed ahold of her flailing arm. He dug his feet into the ground, stopping just short of the edge.

**!CRACK!** The sickening sound of the ground giving way drew Ash's attention to the ground underneath him. He and Yue were now sliding downwards, as the ground they were standing on plummeted to the torrent below.

"WAAAHH!" A loud splash drew the attention of the others.

"ASH!" Dawn gasped.

"Y-YUE!" shouted Nodoka.

"PIKA-PI!" Brock shook off the Zubat around them, and ran off to the edge of the path. He was just in time to see the two get swept under the nearby bridge, and disappear into an underwater tunnel. The others ran over as soon as they could.

"They-They're gone!" exclaimed Chisame.

"Brock, please tell me you have a plan to get them out of there!" Dawn asked. The Pokemon Breeder nodded, and quickly drew a Pokeball.

"Marshtomp, I choose you now!" The Pokeball burst open, releasing the Mud Fish Pokemon.

"Marshtomp!" The Pokemon already had a serious look on his face, already understanding the gravity of the situation.

"Follow Ash and Yue down the stream, and come back when you find them!" Brock ordered.

"Tomp!" The Mud Fish Pokemon jumped into the current, and disappeared, with only its fin showing at the surface before going through the underwater tunnel.

"We'll just have to wait here and see what Marshtomp comes back with," the Pokemon Breeder stated.

"Brock," Chamo wondered, "what happens if they don't come back?"

"They've got to come back," Chisame stated. "Those two are strong enough to last through this…I hope." The group waited and waited, hoping that the worst wasn't what was going to happen.

* * *

The current was a living hell for Ash. Not only was the water freezing, but it was fast. The fact that the stream was underwater didn't help, as places to breathe were few and far between. No sooner then he got a breath of air, than he had to hold it in to avoid swallowing water. Worst of all, it was so dark, that he could barely see Yue in front of him.

'_I've…got to…got to reach her! We can't be separated!' _With a lunge of energy, Ash was able to extend a hand out to Yue, and grab onto her jacket. He pulled her close, and wrapped his arms around her torso, ensuring that they would stay together. As they hit a pocket of air, Ash got a good look at Yue's face. The purplette was barely conscious, her eyes slowly closing and opening slightly.

"Hang on Yue! Stay with-WAUG?!" Water poured into Ash's mouth as they ducked under again, cutting off the rest of his words. They were now tumbling faster and faster; Ash didn't know which way was up anymore. Worse still, he was losing air quickly. Seconds passed, nearly turning into a minute, and still no air pocket came. The two were losing conscious quickly, as air was deprived of them.

'_No…I've gotta stay conscious…Pikachu…we've still got to win…and get Yue…home…'_ Finally, Ash took one involuntary breath underwater. The lack of air starved his deprived lungs, and forced him into unconsciousness.

'_No…Yue…I…I'm….' _Everything went to black before he could finish his thought.

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* * *

_Present_

"I guess that's how everything happened," Ash stated aloud. _'Though I wonder where we are…' _Just then, the door opened. A man wearing a black Team Rocket outfit, with white boots and sleeved gloves that had a red band at their end, stepped into the tent, and walked over to Ash. Over the usual Team Rocket top was a black jacket with a puffed-up collar and yellow bands, and on his waist was a loose-fitting metal belt. He had bright greenish-blue hair, which was shaped like a sideways axe head, and icy green eyes, which betrayed the fake smile that he put on.

"I am so glad that you two survived," the man stated. "It would have been bad if we had to release your bodies to Officer Jenny."

"Bad for you guys, no doubt," Ash glowered. "Spare me your sympathy; who are you, and where are we." The man chuckled.

"I am surprised you do not know me," he stated. "My name is Proton, one of the Team Rocket Executives assigned to the Johto-based operations. I am often labeled as the scariest and cruelest guy in Team Rocket; some even call me the Fortress of Team Rocket. As for where you are, this is Slowpoke Well, underneath Azalea Town." Ash gasped.

"Azalea Town?!" _'Then this guy's trying to get the GS Ball for Team Rocket!'_ Proton frowned.

"Is something wrong?" the executive asked. "You likely were washed away from Union Cave, so it would be natural to wash into Slowpoke Well." He paused. "Unless…you are here to sabotage our operations." He came close to Ash. "What do you know about the GS Ball?" Ash began to sweat.

"GS Ball? I…I don't know what you're talking about?"

"Don not lie to me, Ash Ketchum," Proton said coldly, his face close to Ash's. "Why are you here, and what does the GS Ball mean to you."

"W-We're here to challenge the gym!" Ash stated, partially telling the truth. "Yue here was going for her first Gym Badge!" Proton backed away.

"Ah, yes, I thought your friend was familiar," he stated. "But now that you have mentioned her name, I remember why."

"U-Urk…" With how incompetent Jessie, James, and Meowth were, Ash had forgotten that they said that Yue had attracted interest from the higher-ups of the criminal organization.

"The girl who could use magic, a feat that is essentially unheard of. Someone like that would be of high value in the right hands…" The Team Rocket Executive walked over to where Yue was. The purplette was still out cold. "However...I feel that this girl is worth well less than what I have been assigned." Proton turned around, and picked up a hammer on an adjacent table.

Alarm bells began to ring in Ash's head. "W-What are you doing?"

"Oh, nothing," Proton answered nonchalantly. "I am just going to smash your friend's knees, rendering her unable to walk."

"What?!" Ash gasped. "You can't!"

"But I can," the Team Rocket Executive replied. "You know something that I do not about the GS Ball, and if I cannot get that information, your friend will not be able to walk for a long time. Now tell me, one last time, what do you care about the GS Ball?"

"I'm telling you, I don't know anything!" Ash exclaimed. Proton sighed.

"Suit yourself." He brought the hammer over Yue's left knee, judging where the optimal place would be to hit. He then brought the hammer over his shoulder, ready to bring it's terrible force onto bodily harm.

"I HAD THE GS BALL!" Ash blurted out. Proton paused.

"What do you mean, you had the GS Ball?" he asked.

"A few years ago, Professor Oak asked me to retrieve the GS Ball from Professor Ivy," he exclaimed. Sweat was running down his palms as he talked. "The Professor…he couldn't do anything with it, so he sent me to give it to Kurt. He's sent me again to retrieve it for safekeeping from you guys." Ash didn't want to say all of that, but Proton had given him no choice in the matter. At the moment, keeping Yue in one piece meant more to him than anything.

"Interesting…" Proton placed the hammer back down on the table. The metallic sound triggered Ash's eyes to open. "It seems that the two of us have middle ground to work on."

"W…What do you mean?" Ash asked.

"I require the possession of the GS Ball, as that is what my mission details. You, while also wanting the GS Ball, clearly value the life of this girl more than anything else."

"Well, of course!" It took a second for the Pokemon Trainer to realize what that could mean, and he blushed at the realization. "I-I mean, wouldn't any sane person want to keep their friend's well-being intact?" The Team Rocket Executive smirked.

"If that is how you want to put it," he stated. "Regardless, I have a deal for you." He gestured over to Yue. "I will keep her alive. In fact, I will not injure her in any way at all. She will be alive and well, so long as you fulfill one task for me."

"And that is to give you the GS Ball, am I right?"

"Correct," Proton answered. "That fool Kurt will be expecting you, so he will not suspect that you will give the GS Ball to me. Once that is done, I will release your friend to you, and we can walk away from this like it's never happened." He paused for a few seconds. "However, you will not be going out alone. A pair of plainclothes agents will be following you wherever you go. If they see that you have deviated from your path, they will tell me within minutes. I can assure you that if that is the case, I will personally break every single bone in her body. Is that clear?" Ash looked at the hammer on the table, which was right next to Yue. It was clear to the Pokemon Trainer that Proton was a man who would do anything in order to meet the ends.

"…We're clear," Ash said.

"Excellent." He then stuck a hand into Yue's pocket.

"Hey!" Ash exclaimed. He reached for Proton, but stopped when he saw Proton go for the hammer.

"Relax, I am not doing anything to her," the Team Rocket Executive stated. "However, I am not going to be naïve and not exploit an obvious loophole in your agreement." He took out Yue's Pactio card. "I want to study this card, see how it is the key for this girl's transformations and magical abilities."

"You really are despicable," Ash growled. Proton merely chuckled, as he left to get the key to release Ash from his bindings.

"But that is how I make ends meet here at Team Rocket," he said. "That is how I operate. A devil's methods are the king's wages."

* * *

It had been hours since Ash and Yue had fallen off the cliff. Brock, Dawn, Chisame, Nodoka, and Pikachu were still waiting by the cliff, waiting for Marshtomp to return with news. Chamo was pacing the ground behind them.

"Oh man, If Negister here's that I lost Yuecchi under my watch, getting sent back to Wales it the least of the things that would happen. My status as a familiar would be in definite jeopardy!"

"Way to give up so easily, Chamo," Dawn noted.

"Chu Pika Pikachu," commented Pikachu.

"I-It's not that I'm giving up!" the ermine protested. "I'm just worryin' about the worst-case scenario, that's all! Yeah!"

"Right, and I'm not a net idol," Chisame deadpanned.

"Is there any chance that Marshtomp can't get back up from here, Brock?" Dawn asked.

"There could be," the Pokemon Breeder admitted. "Marshtomp can swim better in mud than water. However, I'm putting my bets on my Pokemon." Just then, a small fin popped up above the water. It was moving very slowly, struggling to fight the current.

"L-Look!" Nodoka pointed. Brock smiled.

"See? What'd I tell you?" He took out Marahtomp's Pokeball. "Marshtomp, return!" The energy beam fired into the water, and recalled the Mud Fish Pokemon. "And now, come back out!" Tossing the Pokeball in the air, Brock released Marshtomp back on dry ground.

"Marshtomp!"

"Marshtomp, did you find what happened to Ash and Yue?" Marshtomp nodded.

"Tomp Marshtomp Pomp Mar-Mar Marshtomp Marsh!"

"Marshtomp says that they washed up in an underground cave, and that they are unconscious, but breathing." This was a sigh of relief for everyone.

"T-They're still alive!" Nodoka stated.

"I'm saved!" Chamo exclaimed.

"Like Ash and Yue's safety was forefront in your pea-brain," Chisame whispered.

"You say something, Chiu-Chiu?"

"Yeah, I'm gonna ring you around a pole if you keep calling me that!"

"Tomp-Tomp Marstomp Marshtomp Pomp Marsh Mar-Marshtomp!"

"Wha?" Chamo took a second to translate. "It seems that some people found them, and took them somewhere close to the cave entrance. Wait, do you mean they were abducted or somethin' Tompster?" Marshtomp shook his head.

"Marshtomp, Marsh-Mar. Marshtomp Tomp. Marsh-Marsh-Tomp."

"Well?" Dawn asked.

"They were apparently taken care of," Chamo stated. "The people who took them made sure they were alright."

"Well that's a relief," Chisame sighed. "For a moment, I thought someone like Team Rocket had taken them or something."

"I wouldn't be too sure about that," Brock warned. "Remember that while we were heading to Azalea Town so that Yue could get the Gym Badge, Ash was told that Team Rocket was after the GS Ball. If there were trainers that went missing in the area, there would be a huge search in the area, not something you want to happen if you're trying to stay hidden from the police."

"So if Team Rocket found them, they'd probably do as much as they can to keep them alive, is that right?" asked Nodoka. The Pokemon Breeder nodded, then turned to Marshtomp.

"Did you get any good features of them? Like if they looked or talked like Team Rocket?" he asked.

"Tomp," the Mud Fish Pokemon answered, shaking its head. "Marshtomp Marsh Marsh."

"It was way too dark," Chamo translated. "And the echoes of the cave made it hard to hear anything."

"So we don't know if it was Team Rocket after all…" Dawn sighed.

"Chuu…."

"You did well, Marshtomp," Brock said. "It's time now you got a good rest. Return!"

"Tomp! Marshtomp!" The Mud Fish Pokemon saluted Brock as it was recalled.

"So now what?" Chisame asked.

"Here's what we know," Brock recapped. "Ash and Yue survived their trip down the underground rivers. They were then found by some people, who may or may not be from Team Rocket, and taken somewhere. My gut feeling is that the two of them ended up in Slowpoke Well, which is located near Azalea Town.

"Then that would mean that they could be in Azalea Town already," Dawn suggested.

"Or they could be in the well itself," said Chamo.

"In any event, asking the Gym Leader for help would be the best thing to do," Brock surmised, "so we'll head into Azalea Town first and ask around there. Then, if we don't find them there, we head into Slowpoke Well."

"Um, what if they aren't in either place?" asked Nodoka. Brock sighed, knowing that the others likely had the same question on their minds as well.

"Let's hope that isn't the case," he said.

* * *

Ash wrung out his sweatshirt, which was beginning to dry in the afternoon sun. He had walked out of the Slowpoke Well several minutes ago, but could still find the ties that connected him to who was currently inside of the well. A glance back could see that he was clearly being followed, despite the best attempts to be incognito. Several yards back, the two plainclothes agents watched from a safe distance, monitoring every movement Ash made. The Pokemon Trainer didn't know who these two were, only that they were chosen because they were young enough to pass off as traveling trainers. Code-named 'Cooltrainer' and 'Lass,' the male and female agents darted from tree to tree, keeping up with Ash's every movements.

'_Well, how am I going to get out of this mess?' _Ash thought to himself. _'Team Rocket must not be able to get the GS Ball. As much as it is bad that we don't know anything about it, it's worse that Team Rocket has an interest. But I can't let Yue get hurt either. I made a promise to her that we'd get her and her class home safely, and having to break a few knees will not help that at all._

'_Still, that brings into question how I can get help. It's not like I can come out and tell people what I'm saying. The moment I do, those guys are going to hurt Yue just like Proton almost did.' _He racked his brain for a solution, only to come up empty. _'Man, I wish someone could read my mind and pry the answer for me…'_ This triggered something in Ash's head. _'Mind-reading…of course! Nodoka's Pactio card can read someone's mind! If she can read my thoughts, then I can tell the other's what's going on!' _He paused. _'That's still not going to change the fact that I need to actually signal them first before they read my mind. So essentially, I'm back at square one…'_

Very soon, Ash found himself entering Azalea Town. It was nowhere near the level of chaos that was Violet City, and seemed to be even smaller than Pallet Town. However, Azalea Town seemed to have a presence bigger than its size.

"It hasn't really changed since the Johto journeys, huh?" he remarked.

"**Watch out!"**

"Wah!" Ash stopped, and looked directly down. Had he taken a step more, he would have stepped on a pink tail with a white tip. Ash knew who that belonged to; Slowpoke, a Pokemon that was dopey, but was endearing to the citizens of Azalea Town.

"Man, that was close," he sighed. "I wouldn't want the townsfolk to get angry at me for stepping on its tail…again."

"You should be careful," the voice, belonging to a young boy, warned. "Slowpoke are everywhere in Azalea Town, and stepping on them will get everyone up in a flurry." The boy stepped in front of Ash, and turned to face him. "Huh? Ash?"

"Bugsy!" Ash exclaimed. Bugsy was short, about an inch off of Ash, and had choppy-cut purple hair that ended at his chin. He was wearing a camper's outfit – two-tone green short-sleeved shirt, short shorts, a yellow ascot, and knee-high socks with brown shoes. "It's been so long! How's the Gym?"

"It could be better with Team Rocket running around," he admitted. "Whenever I'm not doing a Gym Match, I'm out watching for those goons. At least with you here, you can take the GS Ball off of our hands."

"Yeah…" Ash glanced back. For the first time, he was unable to see the two agents that were tailing him. Their accidental encounter with Bugsy had scared them enough to hide their faces, but they were sure to be around the corner, snooping on their conversation. Still, this was the opportunity to convey a message to the others. If Bugsy met up with Nodoka and the others, he would be able to relay the information to them. But only if Ash played his cards right…

"Anyway, enough about me," Bugsy said, clearly wanting to get away from the subject of Team Rocket. "How are things with you, Ash?"

"Let's see…well, I've started taking up reading lately."

"Huh?" Bugsy was confused. "You have?"

"Yeah, reading up on all the Champions and Elite Four members. It's like in these books, I can read their minds or something, you know? It's amazing how much you can understand people by reading." Bugsy was tilting his head.

"Um...are you okay, Ash?" he asked.

"As fit as a Farfetch'd! Anyway, I've better go to Kurt's house and get the GS Ball from him. The sooner that's gone, the sooner Team Rocket is out of the area and onto the next town. Really, it takes a mind-reader to know what they're doing. See you!" Before Bugsy could say anything else, Ash began to walk away.

"Ah…bye…" The Gym leader paused. "What's with the book and mind-reading motifs?" He was so deep in his thoughts about this, that he didn't care much as the two Team Rocket agents walked by him, continuing their surveillance of Ash.

* * *

"Man, this stinks!" James complained. "We signed onto this job thinking we're going to steal the GS Ball, something we've personally followed for some months years ago, and instead, we're hauling twerpettes into the brig like a sack of potatoes!" James had Yue slung over his shoulders. He, along with Jessie and Meowth, were bringing the purplette to a holding cell in the middle of the facility, where she would stay until Ash returned.

"Pipe down, James!" hushed Jessie. "This could be our biggest chance yet to get back into the good fight."

"Whaddya mean, Jess?" asked Meowth.

"Think of it, what have we been doing for the last few years? Following that twerp and his Pikachu is a top priority for us, but I would like some bigger fish to fry than simply stealing a trainer's Pokemon. I'd like to conquer new regions for Team Rocket, like we did in Hoenn and Sinnoh!"

"Right, and getting this girl to the Boss and helping out Executive Proton is the start of that promotion. I get it now!" realized James.

"Well ya betta hurry up with da walkin' Jimmy," Meowth suggested. "Our twerpette friend's stirrin'!" Yue was starting to regain consciousness just as they reached the holding cell.

"Then let's hurry," said Jessie. "Our promotion could be on hold forever if we let her loose here. " Quickly, Jessie produced a set of keys. Fingering through them until she got the two she wanted, she placed the first one into the keyhole on the handcuffs that were restraining Yue, unlocking them. The red-haired agent then placed the second into the lock on the cell door, opening that.

"Nngh…Ash…" Yue was slowly regaining consciousness. James turned his back to the cell door, and backed Yue in.

"In you go!" he said, letting go of the purplette. Yue fell into the cell, landing on the hard, cold cell floor. The jolt of the impact woke her up completely.

"Wah!" Yue looked around. "W-Where am I?" Before she could get an answer, the cell door closed, and Jessie locked the door.

"You are in a cell, our prisoner for da time being!" Meowth boasted.

"Meowth!" Yue exclaimed. "Then, that means…Team Rocket!"

"The one and only!" Jessie boasted.

"We'd go with the motto, but what's the point? You aren't going anywhere, after all," said James. Yue looked around. The cage was indented into a wall, with the only access in the front. All three walls were dark, and had no windows.

"Where's Ash?" the purplette demanded.

"He's perfectly fine," Jessie stated. "He's out doing errands for our Executive in town, like bringing the GS Ball straight to us." Yue could not believe what Jessie had said.

"He wouldn't!" she protested. "Ash would never join you creeps in criminal activities!"

"Not when it was the GS Ball against you," the red-haired woman stated. Yue was confused.

"Wha? What do you mean?"

"Our Executive had you and the twerp eating out of the palm of his hand," James explained. "He said that you would be fine so long as he gave us the GS Ball without trouble."

"Buuuuut…" continued Meowth, "should he tell anyone or not give da GS Ball, you're in for a woirld of hurt! As in hurtin' so much dat ya won't be movin' fer a long, long, time." Yue was shocked. So far, she had seen a lot of people in the Pokemon World, many good, but some bad. However, this was the first time she heard of a person that would intentionally harm a living person in order to get what he wanted.

"So Ash…saved me?" she wondered.

"You bet, so you should be grateful that the twerp had chosen you over a Pokeball!" Jessie stated.

"And don't think that you'll be able to bust out of here with your magic," added Jessie. "Our Executive has your little transformation card in his possession, meaning that you're stuck like that. And without Pokemon, you're stuck there!" The three turned and walked away from the cage, laughing victoriously. Yue reached into her pocket, only to confirm what Team Rocket had said. She had no Pokemon, no Pactio card, no bag. All of the items on her person were gone, just like that. However, Yue was not worried.

"It's a good thing that Chamo said I can place items onto the Pactio card," she stated. "Otherwise, I'd be stuck without a wand." She took two steps back from the iron bars. On the second step, she faltered, as her foot planted on something other than the hard floor.

"**YEOWCH!-!"** Yue jumped back, as another person jumped up, clutching his hand in pain.

"A-Ah, sorry!" Yue apologized. "I didn't know someone was here!" The person, a blonde teen, shook his hand out. Even in the bad lighting, Yue could make out some features. He was wearing a short-sleeved orange and white striped zippered jacket, with the collar put up. He had black pants and brown shoes, and his blonde hair was flipping up on the right and left sides of his head.

"Well, you should watch where you're stepping next time, no matter where you are! I was taking a perfectly fine nap before you stepped on my pointer! I'd fine you one million Poke if we were in better straights…man, it stinks! All I wanted to do when I came down here was catch a Slowpoke, and instead, I find this stupid Team Rocket base and get myself caught. At least those Rocket members who tail Ash were actually beatable…these are brutally strong members." Yue caught onto something in the person's monologue.

"Do you mean Ash, as in Ash Ketchum?" the purplette asked.

"Huh?" the teen was confused. "You know Ash?"

"We're traveling together, along with some of our friends," Yue explained. "It's…kinda complicated why, but I'm challenging the Johto League while Ash takes on the Battle Frontier."

"Sweet!" the blonde said. "That means that the two of us are rivals then; I'm in the Johto League as well!" He extended a hand out to Yue. "My name's Barry of Twinleaf Town." Yue shook his hand.

"Yue Ayase, of a place you haven't heard of." Barry was puzzled.

"Huh? What do you mean, a place I haven't heard of?"

"Do you know of Mahora Academy?"

"Um…Is that some type of Pokemon school?"

"No."

"You're right; I haven't heard of it." Barry quickly put on a smile. "But at least I know that we'll be out of here soon. With Ash around, I'm sure that he'll find a way to spring us out of here." Yue frowned. "What's wrong?"

"No…he's doing Team Rocket's work because of me. The leader here used me as a bargaining tool while I was unconscious. If Ash doesn't get the GS Ball for them, I'll be severely hurt." Barry gasped.

"You serious?!" he exclaimed. Yue nodded.

"It's stupid…Ash was told to get the GS Ball by Professor Oak, and now he's told to get it for the wrong reasons…"

"I'm sure Ash is figuring out a way to get both the GS Ball and you in one piece," Barry assured. "Ash isn't the type to help out any criminal. He just doesn't want to see you hurt, that's all." Yue nodded.

"I understand," she stated. "It still doesn't mean I can't criticize his decision…"

"Anyway, it's not like we can do anything here," the blonde stated. "Without Pokemon, we're just stuck here waiting for help." Yue turned to the iron bars that held them in.

"I can get us out of here," she stated.

"Huh?" Barry was surprised. "You can? But you don't have Pokemon on you."

"I don't need a Pokemon to be able to get out," she said, smirking. "It's a good thing Chamo gave me two copies of the Pactio card." Yue reached into an interior pocket of her jacket. There, soggily pressed against the side of her pocket, was her Pactio card. It had been overlooked because of the dampness; it was indistinguishable from the lining of the pocket in its current state. Yue held out the card to her right.

"What are you doing?" Barry wondered. Yue didn't answer.

"ADEAT!" Instantly, Yue was out of her soggy clothing, and was back to wearing her dry school uniform from Mahora Academy. Her cloak was added to her wardrobe, and her witch's hat fell squarely on her head. Books surrounded her in a domed circle, only to disappear once the purplette selected her correct book, which then floated in front of her. In her left hand, her broom materialized, and in her right hand appeared her training wand from Chamo.

Barry had taken a step back. "W-W-What was that?! W-Who are you?!"

"Not someone of your world," Yue answered. The purplette opened her magic book, and began skimming through the pages. _'We need something that can break a lock, but not bring down the building in the process…this looks like it should do!'_ She snapped the book closed, and pointed her wand at the lock.

"Practice bigi nar! O one spirit of lightning, come together and strike thy enemy! Sagitta Magica, Series Lux!" An arrow shot out of the practice wand, and struck the lock. The metal lock was instantly broken, and fell to the ground. Yue stuck her hand through the bars, and opened the door.

"W-We can get out?" Barry asked, still a little shocked by the display. Yue nodded. "Well, I'm glad that you got us out, but I'm still fining you if you don't tell me later how you did it."

"Don't thank me yet," Yue stated, as the two stepped out of the cage. "They likely already know that we've escaped, so we better hurry out of here."

"I remember them placing my bag and Pokemon in a storage room not far from here," the blonde recalled. "Likely your stuff is there as well."

"Lead the way then," the purplette stated. Barry pumped his fist.

"All right, let's take these idiots down! Nobody messes with Barry and gets off scot-free!" He then took off down the hallway. Yue followed behind him.

'_Hang on, Ash!' _she thought. _'I'm safe, so don't give them the GS Ball just yet!'_

**To be continued…**

* * *

_For Your Information…_

_The full dialogue in the beginning: "It's showing he has a pulse!" "Look, he's breathing normally." "Inform Proton. He'll want to know." "Rodger. Hail Giovanni!"_

_Yes, I have made Proton a little extreme in his actions. However, this is what I'm going for with the Executives of Team Rocket: make them characters that Ash and Co. truly fear, an antithesis to Jessie, James, and Meowth._

_The Cooltrainer and Lass codenames for Ash's handlers are more than just codenames. Their appearance is that of the trainer classes from HGSS._

_I have to admit, there is one point in the chapter that I'm unhappy about, and that's when Yue reveals her soggy Pactio card. Originally, I was going to have a point where Yue recalls her Pactio card, as I swear I saw it before. But I cannot remember where it was in Negima that it happened, and the internet was no help, so it was dropped in favor of a copy card. I swear that I have seen the above, but I could be wrong, so please help me out here with this, so I know for future chappies!_

_What also could catch me some flack is that Yue's Pactio card utilizes the costume save function well before it was actually utilized. My logic in this is that given the circumstances of being trapped in an alien world for who-knows-how-long-save-the-author, Chamo has accelerated the training Yue has done in order to bring her to the point that she can defend herself without the aid of Pokemon._

* * *

_Will Ash realize that Yue is free before he gives the GS Ball to Team Rocket? Will the others realize the battle that is taking place deep underneath Azalea Town? And how will Yue and Barry escape from the Fortress of Team Rocket? That's all for next time, so please review, subscribe, and stay tuned for the next chapter, or Barry will fine you ten million Poke! Ja ne, everyone!_

_Ketchum Kid_


	17. Play for the Prize

_Welcome to the next chapter of Deliverance from Evil! We now have 50% more Veronica Taylor! I'll elaborate on that in a bit, but I would imagine that you'd want to read the next chapter, right? So here we go!_

* * *

**Chapter XVII: The Play for the Prize**

Kurt's house was on the western outskirts of Azalea Town. Constructed in the style of times long ago, it was more of an estate than a home, with a large pagoda-style wall around the property. The entranceway looked like it was out of a samurai movie, with a large wooden door encasing a small building built into the wall. The only hint of modern society was the intercom box placed on the right side of the door.

Ash stood outside the door, ready to press the intercom button. He had no Pokemon on him, no friends to aid him, and two Team Rocket members hiding in the bushes not far away. All because he was being forced to essentially steal the GS Ball right from under Kurt's nose and deliver it to Proton, the Executive who was holding the health of Yue Ayase in the palm of his hand.

_'Here it is. The point where I become the villain just because I don't want to see one of my friends be hurt by Team Rocket. Hopefully Professor Oak and the others understand what I am doing.'_ The Pokemon Trainer paused, hesitant to press the intercom button. _'Speaking of everyone else, I wonder how they're doing. Brock, Dawn, Nodoka, Chisame, Chamo, Pikachu…I hope they're all right. I haven't seen them since Yue and I fell into the water…they're probably worried sick about the two of us. I want to go and find them…but I'm more worried about Yue. If I don't do something to save her from Team Rocket…'_ His right hand began to tremble._ 'Well, guys, wish me luck!'_ Gathering all of his courage, Ash pressed the intercom button. "Hello?" Tense, silent seconds passed by.

_"Yes, who is it?"_ said a young, girly voice out of the intercom. Not what Ash was expecting out of Kurt. A glimmer of memory, however, connected the dots.

"Maisy, is it? It's me, Ash Ketchum. I've come to see your grandfather."

_"Oh, Ash! Hang on a second…"_ Muffled voices came out of the receiver, as Maisy talked to Kurt, who was not near the intercom. _"Kurt will be out at the gate to let you in shortly."_

"Okay," Ash stated. "Thanks!" No sooner than the intercom crackled out, then the radio on one of the Team Rocket agents crackled to life.

_"Base to Cooltrainer, do you copy?"_ 'Cooltrainer' picked up the radio.

"Cooltrainer to base, I copy. What's up?"

_"Our bargaining chip has escaped her cell! Apprehend her friend, and secure the GS Ball at all costs!"_

_'Yue!'_ Ash gasped. _'She escaped!'_ The Trainer's heart had skipped a beat for a second, but returned to motion when he saw the two agents stand up and reveal their Pokemon.

"Machoke, take the trainer down!" 'Cooltrainer' commanded, calling on a grey humanoid creature, with a nicely toned body and a golden belt around its waist.

"Houndour, get him!" 'Lass' ordered, releasing a small black and red dog which had small bone-like structures on its back and forehead. The two Pokemon cornered Ash by the doorway.

"Great," he groaned. "Yue's free, but now I'm trapped!" Suddenly, the doors to the Kurt Estate opened up.

**"Ash, duck!"** The Pokemon Trainer listened to the older person's voice, and quickly threw himself on the floor. **"Slowbro, use Water Pulse!"**

"Teddiursa, use Hidden Power!" Maisy called. Both attacks flew over Ash, clearing his hair by mere inches. Ash could not see if the attacks from his position, but judging from the cries of pain from Machoke and Houndour, he assumed they did.

"Are you all right, Ash?" The Pokemon Trainer turned around to face Kurt. The old man was wearing a blue robe with blue pants and grey sandals. Next to him was his granddaughter, Maisy. She had waist-length brown hair that was tied into pigtails with two red bows, and wore a light pink blouse over a pink skirt, with pink and yellow running shoes. She seemed to have gotten taller since the last time Ash had seen her, as she now was up to Kurt's shoulders. In front of the two were their Pokemon: Slowbro, a bipedal Slowpoke with a grey eyed shell latched onto its tail, and Teddiursa, a small light brown bear cub with a crescent moon marking on its forehead.

"Thanks to you guys, yes," Ash stated, as he ran behind the two. "You couldn't have come at a better time!" The grey-haired man nodded.

"At least you guys had the decency to make a lot of noise to warn us about them. Why are they so up in arms, anyway?"

"They were holding my friend hostage until I delivered the GS Ball to them," Ash explained. "But she apparently broke out, meaning I'm free to go back on their deal if I had any of my Pokemon."

"Then let us help you out then!" Kurt stated. "Slowbrow, use Zen Headbutt!"

"Teddiursa, use Brick Break!" Maisy ordered. The two Pokemon charged at their targets. Slowbro launched a powerful headbutt infused with psychic energy at Machoke, and Teddiursa leapt at Houndour, striking with a karate chop to the head. Both enemy Pokemon were launched into trees behind the two Team Rocket agents, knocked out cold.

"Y-You'll pay for that!" 'Cooltrainer' swore, as the two agents recalled their Pokemon. "Just you wait!"

"Proton does not take lightly to insubordination!" 'Lass' stated. "This is not the last you've seen of us!" The two agents fled the scene.

"We'll be ready when you do!" called out Maisy. She turned to her grandfather. "That was easier than I thought."

"Only because there were two of them," reminded Kurt. "And they weren't exactly the cream of the crop in terms of power levels."

"Most of the stronger agents are probably going to be trying to go after Yue," Ash noted. "I've got to go and save her!"

"You can't do it without a Pokemon," the Pokeball smith opined. "I'd go and help you out myself if my back wasn't in the shape it's in today. Maisy, can you accompany Ash to Slowpoke Well and help him out?"

"But Grandpa, what about the GS Ball?" the young girl asked.

"Yeah," Ash agreed. "You'll be the only person guarding it." Kurt laughed.

"I may be old, but I'm not senile just yet. I can still bust a move or two, and so can Slowbro, can't you, old feller?"

"Slowbro slow!" the Hermit Crab Pokemon stated.

"Just worry about finding your friend, Ash," Kurt said. "Leave the GS Ball to me."

"Alright, Kurt," Ash said, still uneasy about the decision.

"Be safe, Grandpa!" Maisy said.

"As long as you're safe, Maisy, I'll be fine," the old Pokeball smith assured her. "Now get going, before your friend is back in the wrong hands!" Ash and Maisy turned, and began their run across town to Slowpoke Well.

"So, this Yue girl, is she your special someone?" Ash blushed at the statement.

"N-N-No!" he stammered. "Just…just a friend in need." Maisy giggled.

"Tee-hee! I'm just joking, silly!" Ash had suspicions that she wasn't.

* * *

At the same time Ash and Maisy were racing across town, Bugsy had arrived at the Slowpoke Well. Rather than being a small isolated well left to the elements, the Slowpoke Well was protected in a small, easily visible shrine. Behind the shrine was the entrance to a cave, which led to the water source of the well.

"Well, I haven't really gotten a chance to look in Slowpoke's Well recently," the Gym Leader stated. "But I'd need a whole day to explore this place, and I can't afford to stake away too much time away from the Gym." He frowned. "Man, I wish the League would actually come and help me for once. Not doing anything during the drought a few years back was one thing, but sending nobody to help with Team Rocket is another…huh?" His attention was briefly diverted to the east, as Brock, Dawn, Nodoka, Chisame, Chamo, and Pikachu came into view. "Maybe they actually did…hey Brock!" Brock turned his head in Bugsy's direction, waved, and directed his party to head to the Slowpoke Well. It took another minute for the group to reach the well. "Am I glad to see you, Brock!"

"What are you doing here, Bugsy?" Brock asked. "Shouldn't you be at the Gym?"

"Not with all of these reports of Team Rocket in the area," the Gym Leader said. "I've got a duty to protect Azalea Town, after all."

"Hold on," interrupted Chisame. "This little kid is a Gym Leader?" Bugsy rolled his eyes.

"I happen to be eighteen, you know," the purplette stated. "I'm just short for my age." His attention turned to Pikachu, who was on Dawn's shoulder. "Hold on, is that Ash's Pikachu?"

"Yeah," Dawn confirmed. "Ash fell into the water in Union Cave along with another one of our friends, and wound up in Slowpoke Well." Bugsy put a hand on his cheeks, thinking about his encounter with Ash.

"No wonder he was so loopy when I saw him," he pondered. "The water might have gone to his brain." The group gasped.

"You saw Ash?!" Brock exclaimed. The Gym Leader nodded.

"Yeah. I ran into him in town, but he was acting all weird and all. He was saying all kind of things that made no sense."

"L-Like what?" asked Nodoka.

"He was saying stuff about books and mind-reading and any words similar to that...he hasn't fallen off the deep end, has he?"

"I can tell you I have since I've gotten stuck in this mess," Chisame groaned dryly.

"Hang on a second," interrupted Chamo. "You said books and mind-reading?"

"Woah!" gasped Bugsy. "A talking Pokemon?" The ermine waved him off.

"I get that all the time, doll face, but that's not important right now. What you said fits Nodoka to a T."

"It…it does?" the Bookworm wondered. Chamo hopped from Chisame's shoulder to Nodoka's.

"Think about it, sister. You're part of a library exploration team, so that would be obvious to books, but there's one book that fits into what Ash was sayin' about mind-reading." Dawn realized what the ermine was talking about.

"Nodoka's artifact!" she exclaimed.

"What?" wondered Bugsy, who was lost in the conversation. "What are you guys talking about?"

"Of course!" said Brock. "Nodoka's artifact can read minds, and tell us about what a person is thinking of!"

"What I think," surmised Chamo, "is that Ash wasn't able to say something to Bugsy, but was trying to tell him words that we would know about."

"Do you think Ash is in trouble?" Chisame asked Bugsy.

"He did act like someone was following him," the Gym Leader stated. "And after he left, two people passed me heading in the same direction that Ash went."

"There's only one way to find out for sure," Chamo said, looking at Nodoka. "Let's get that Pactio card out!"

"R-Right," agreed Nodoka. She took her Pactio card out of her pocket, and held it out in front of her. "Adeat!" a quick flash of blinding light forced the others to cover their eyes, but also brought forth the Diarium Ejus, her artifact.

"W-What was that?!" gawked Bugsy. "How did that book appear out of thin air?!"

"Magic," replied Chamo. "An' that isn't the only thing it can do. Nodoka?" The Bookworm nodded.

"Ash Ketchum," she called out, opening the book. Quickly, a small drawing appeared on the top part of one page, with writing on the bottom part of the page. The picture was crudely drawn, but showed a chibi version of Ash and Maisy running towards Yue, with Proton's head looming in the background.

"'I've got to go and save Yue before Proton gets to her again. Now that she's gotten out of their prison, I don't have to steal the GS Ball for Team Rocket. I can't let Proton catch her, otherwise who knows what will happen to her? Proton threatened to break her bones if I didn't cooperate with him; what will he do if he catches Yue again?'" Nodoka gasped. "Yue's in trouble!"

"Now everything makes sense!" Brock deduced. "After they washed up in Slowpoke Well, Team Rocket, who likely has a base of operations there, kidnapped them, and forced Ash to do their bidding, using Yue as leverage. That's why Ash was talking weird to you, Bugsy. Likely he was being followed." The Gym Leader nodded.

"Somehow, though, Yue escaped from them," continued Bugsy. "With their bargaining off, Ash went back on them, and is likely headed here to help her."

"He's not going to last it out alone!" exclaimed Dawn. "We need to go in there and help him out!"

"Shouldn't someone stay here, though?" Bugsy said, looking again at Yue's diary. "He still appears to be in Azalea Town, so that means it would be a while before he gets here."

"You do have a point…" Chamo agreed.

"How about this?" Chisame suggested. "Since not all of us have a Pokemon or any helpful artifacts, Chamo and I will stay back to explain everything to Ash. The rest of you head into the cave and find Yue."

"That sounds like a plan," said Brock. Pikachu hopped onto Chisame's shoulder.

"Pika, pikachu pikapi pika!" chattered the Electric Mouse Pokemon.

"Pikachu says that he wants to wait for Ash," translated Chamo. "He wants to help him as soon as he arrives."

"Chu!"

"Let's go," stated Brock. "Any seconds we're talking here could be seconds that we lose Yue to!"

"Good luck, you guys!" Chamo called to them, as Brock, Bugsy, Dawn, and Nodoka ran into the cave that led to the depths of Slowpoke Well.

"We should probably go find Ash," Chisame said. "The sooner he's brought to speed, the better for all of us."

"Pika!"

"Good idea, Chiu-Chiu."

"Stop calling me Chiu-Chiu!" Haphazardly, Chisame hurried to the west, with Pikachu and Chamo in tow on her shoulders.

* * *

Inside the Slowpoke Well base of Team Rocket, Yue and Barry had finally found the room that contained all of their equipment. Their bags, while pilfered through, were all in one piece, with nothing stolen. However…

"Looks like I lost the hat," Yue noted. She patted her head. "Meh, it feels better without it anyway, though I hope Ash doesn't get mad that I lost it."

"A hat is the least of our worries at the moment," stated Barry. "Where are all of our Pokemon?" The blonde looked through box after box, until finally, in an ordinary cardboard box, he found what he was looking for. "Bingo! Yue, over here!" The purplette hurried over to where Barry was. The box contained many Pokeballs, all ready to be shipped out to the main base of Team Rocket for evaluation and resale on the black market.

"Are any of these ours?" the bibliomaniac asked.

"Of course these are ours!" stated Barry. "How many other prisoner trainers do you see around here? Now let's go and take our Pokemon, and get out of this joint!"

"I agree with you," Yue said. "But how are we supposed to figure out whose Pokeballs are whose?" Barry paused.

"…Trial and error?" Just then, the door to the room opened. Jessie, James, and Meowth burst into the room. The agents already had Pokemon out: Jessie's Seviper, and James's Carnivine.

"So, you thought you could break out of here easily, do you?" stated Jessie.

"Well, fogettaboutit!" Meowth continued. "Ya may have been sneaky with ya escape plan, but now ya have ta face us!"

"So prepare for trouble and make it double, because we're coming at the speed of light!" James finished.

"Seviper!"

"Carnivine!"

"Man, do we really have to sit through your lame motto again?" Barry groaned. "Now isn't the perfect time." This got the three agents riled up.

"Now you listen here, twerp!" Jessie demanded. "We're in charge here, and unless you have a Pokemon, you're going to follow us quietly back to your cell!"

"But Jessie, they destroyed the cell door," reminded James. "How are we supposed to keep them in check?" Jessie punched her partner in the head. "Ow!"

"How do you think we'll do it, James? We watch them ourselves!" Barry placed a hand in the box containing the Pokeballs.

"Thing is, we actually do have Pokemon!" The blonde trainer threw the Pokeball at Team Rocket. "Empoleon, show them what you're made of!"

"Wah!" Team Rocket flinched as the Pokeball opened up. However, what came out was not Empoleon.

"Flaffffy!" Team Rocket stared, then they began to laugh.

"That's your big plan?" Jessie stated. "A cute little lamb?"

"It couldn't even hurt a fly, but it does get points in adorability!" James chuckled.

"What gives?" Barry wondered, looking at the Pokeball. "I could have sworn that was my Empoleon in that Pokeball…"

"We're not lost yet," Yue stated. "Cover your eyes."

"Huh, what are you going to-?"

"Flaffy, use Flash!"

"Aw jeez-!" Barry had barely any time to cover his eyes, as Flaffy's tail suddenly glowed brightly. Without warning, the glow intensified tenfold, filling the room with a blinding flash of light.

"AAHH!" Team Rocket was laughing so hard that they didn't notice the attack until it was too late. The light completely blinded the Rockets and their Pokemon.

"I-I can't see a thing!" James exclaimed.

"My nine lives flashed before me, but a little too fast fer my tastes!" Meowth said.

"Seviper, get them!" Unfortunately, Seviper was just as blind as they were. The Fang Snake Pokemon turned towards James, and bit him on the head.

"OW!" the Team Rocket member exclaimed. "Do I look like a twerp to you?"

"I don't know, Jimmy," Meowth stated. "I can't see much of anything else!" Soon their vision came to them, but by that time, it was too late; Yue and Barry had disappeared, with no trace as to where they went. "Dey're gone!"

"They couldn't have gone very far!" Jessie stated. "Let's go after them!"

"Right!" The group of five people and Pokemon exited the room into the hallway, made a right, and then a right down the next corridor.

Barry peered around the corner of a hallway junction. He, Yue, and Flaffy had made a left and a left, hiding in an alcove in case that Team Rocket followed their exact path. The blonde trainer sighed, and turned around to Yue. "You could have warned me about that attack. I could have been as blind as they were!"

"And give them time to prepare?" the purplette stated. "I'd rather take my chances with leading by the hand." She held up her hand for Flaffy's Pokeball, which Barry still had.

"It's a lucky guess that I pulled one of your Pokemon, though," he said, throwing the Pokeball to her. "Still, we need to find a way to get out of this place. How are we going to find an exit?"

"Flaffy flaff!" Yue and Barry looked to where the Wool Pokemon was pointing to. Above the junction was a black plastic sign. In cream-green lettering was the word "exit" with an arrow pointing in the direction of the hallway that they had turned on to.

"An exit sign…" Yue said, surprised at its presence in a Team Rocket base.

"Who would have thought that Team Rocket built its hideouts with safety codes in mind?" Barry wondered.

* * *

As Chisame approached the bridge into town, Pikachu spotted Ash approaching from the opposite side. The Electric Mouse Pokemon, overjoyed at finding his trainer safe and sound, jumped off of Chisame's shoulder, and ran in front of the net idol. "Pikapi!"

"Pikachu!" Ash called out. The two met in the middle of the bridge, Pikachu jumping into his trainer's arms.

"Pika!"

"You're alright!" the raven haired trainer stated. "I'm so glad you're okay!"

"Chu!"

"And we're just chopped liver, I guess," Chamo said, hopping onto Ash's shoulder. The raven haired trainer turned to Chisame, who, for once, was smiling. Well, smirking.

"I think it's just for the best that you're at least alive," the net idol stated.

"It's good to see you too, guys," Ash said. Maisy, who had been tailing a little while behind Ash, caught up to him.

"Are these your friends?" Maisy asked. Ash nodded.

"I'd do introductions, but we're kinda pressed for time right now," he said. "Chisame, where's everyone else?"

"They went into Slowpoke Well with Bugsy to get Yue," the redhead explained. "Nodoka was able to read your mind with her artifact, so we know what's going on."

"Then we better go and help them," Ash said. "I don't want to think about what Proton's going to do if they run into them."

"That does remind me, who is this Proton person?" Chisame asked. "A member of Team Rocket, I presume?" Ash nodded, frowning.

"Only that he's the most terrifying criminal I have ever met in all of my travels," he said gravely.

* * *

The cave portion of Slowpoke Well was a large expanse of underground lakes and streams, all of which feed into the water supply for Azalea Town. Each holding a flashlight, Brock, Bugsy, Dawn, and Nodoka searched the cave for any sign of a Team Rocket base.

"Any luck guys?" Bugsy called out.

"Not over here," Brock said, from a darker portion of the cave.

"Nothing on the lake shore," stated Dawn from the side of one of the underground lakes. Piplup surfaced from the water. "What about underwater, Piplup?"

"Lup…" the Penguin Pokemon sighed, shaking his head.

"Thought so," Nodoka said. She has stuck by Dawn during their search. "It would be highly unlikely that they would make a base under the water."

"Let's rendezvous and try to think of something else," Bugsy suggested. He then covered his light, uncovered, and repeated the process, telegraphing his location to the others. Within a few minutes, the four had reconvened at Bugsy's location. "So far, we have nothing."

"Honestly, how hard can it be to find a secret base in the middle of a cave?" Dawn wondered. "I mean, it's not like it would be hard to do so, since they have only so many places to build a base in here."

"But it's also very dark down here…" reminded Bugsy. "The area here has some light because we're close to the exit, but the further down you go, the darker it gets."

"We could be stumbling around for hours trying to find where we can go," Brock stated. The four sighed.

"What if we could use Nodoka's artifact to read the mind of the Proton person that Ash was thinking of?" suggested Brock. The others looked at him.

"What do you mean?" Nodoka wondered.

"Based on what Ash was thinking, this Proton person is likely a member of Team Rocket, likely a high-ranking one," the Pokemon breeder explained. "If he's looking for Yue as much as the rest of us, he'll probably head for the exit, and try to cut her off. By that logic, he should be thinking about how to get from the exit."

"I get it!" Bugsy exclaimed. "Then, we just have to follow his directions in reverse, and we find their base!"

"That's a good idea, Brock!" Dawn stated.

"Lup piplup!"

**"Yes, a very good idea indeed, Brock."** The group turned their flashlights in the direction of Proton's voice, finding that the Team Rocket Executive was standing about twenty feet away from them. He was accompanied by several Team Rocket Agents. "However, you will find that it does not work out in practice."

"And how long were you there?" Brock asked, placing a hand on his belt.

"Since you started explaining your plan," Proton stated. He opened his arms out. "Well, if you are so confident that it will help you find your poor, precious Yue, what is holding you back?" The Pokemon Breeder grunted.

"What have you done to her?" Dawn demanded. The Executive smirked.

"Oh, nothing yet," he stated. "But I can assure you it will be something that she will not forget for several months, if not longer." Even Nodoka was beginning to get riled up by the Executive. She snapped open her book, and pointed at him.

"P-Proton, how do we get to your hideout in this cave?!" Several tense, silent seconds passed.

"Well, where is the hideout?" Proton asked, grinning ear to ear. "Please, do tell me." Nodoka was getting redder and redder by the second. Finally, she closed the book with such force that it disturbed a few Slowpoke by the lake, who looked in their direction before returning to their previous blissful lazyness.

"What's wrong, Nodoka?!" Brock asked. The Bookworm was trembling in fear and shock.

"W-W-W-Well, I-I know w-w-where i-it is-is…" she said nervously.

"But?" Bugsy said.

"T-T-T-The-there w-w-w-wer-re a-a-a lot o-of o-o-other things t-t-t-t-that w-w-were r-r-r-reveal-led…"

"Huh? Other things?" Nodoka bowed, hiding her eyes behind her bangs.

"I'm sorry!" she apologized, blushing madly. "T-T-They're too graphic and horrific for me to want to say out loud!" Proton held up Yue's Pactio card.

"That's Yue's!" Dawn exclaimed.

"After analyzing your friend's artifact, I seem to have found out how these things work," Proton declared. "They are specific in function to their owner, so they are rather useless without the cooperation of its magician." He ripped the card in half.

"Hey!" Brock shouted. "Why did you do that?!"

"So that this could be never used against myself or Team Rocket again," the green-haired Executive stated.

"In that case, why don't you just give up Yue, since she seems so intent on not cooperating with you?!" Dawn demanded.

"Oh, I will," Proton said, smirking. "After I do to her what I did to her piece of paper." He motioned to two of his agents, who stepped forward, and each threw a Pokeball.

"Golbat, take them down!"

"Weezing, dispatch these foes!" Bursting out of their Pokeballs were a large blue batlike Pokemon whose giant mouth encompassed most of its body, and a large round purple ball, which was attached to a smaller ball (both balls had eyes and mouths).

"Go-bat!"

"Weezing Wheez!" The three Pokemon Trainers selected their Pokemon.

"Alright, Geodude, let's go!"

"Quilava, spotlight!"

"Scyther, I choose you!" The three Pokemon burst out of their Pokeballs next to each other. Brock called on his rock-like creature, Dawn her Volcano Pokemon, and Bugsy a green humanoid praying mantis with scythes for arms. The Scyther's head resembled a reptile more than an inscect.

"Geodude!"

"Quilava!"

"Scyther!" Piplup walked up next to Scyther, making the battle two Pokemon against four.

"Tsk, tsk," Proton said. "You know, you could have just asked me if you wanted to have a four-on-four matchup." He snapped his fingers, and two more agents took out Pokeballs.

"Ariados go!"

"Cacturne, show them no mercy!" The new Pokemon were a large red and black spider and a green humanoid cactus-like creature.

"Ari!"

"Cacturne!"

"Not more of them!" Dawn muttered.

"I say that this is a much better matchup than the one that you had before, do you not agree?" Proton asked, smiling.

"With you, there's no such thing as a fair amount." The Team Rocket Executive frowned when he saw Ash come alongside Dawn and Brock, with Maisy and Chisame arriving as well.

"Ash!" Dawn exclaimed. "You're alright!" The raven haired trainer flashed a smile at his friends.

"Got room for two more?" Maisy asked. Pikachu and Teddiursa went up towards the line of Pokemon.

"Pika!"

"Teddi!"

"The extra Poke-power can always be used, Maisy," Bugsy said.

"You," growled Proton, staring directly at Ash. "Did you come here thinking you could mess with our plans?" Ash turned his hat backwards.

"I came here to get back my friend!" he declared. "And you're not gonna stop me in getting to her!"

"Pika Pikachu!" Sparks flickered from Pikachu's cheeks. Two more agents took out two more Pokeballs.

"Beedrill, get ready to attack!"

"Machoke, go!" Summoning the two Pokemon to his side made the battle lines even at six Pokemon apiece.

"That's…a lot of Pokemon out here…" Chamo stated in amazement.

"Be careful, everyone," Ash cautioned. "Even if these aren't Proton's Pokemon, they can be just as dangerous. Proton laughed darkly

"Fufufu… that's right, be very afraid. Afraid for what I will do to you after you lose!" The Team Rocket Executive motioned his hand towards the six. "Attack!" With that, the Pokemon and the agents charged forward.

"Scatter!" Bugsy ordered. "We'll have a better chance one-on-one!"

"This way!" Brock called to his Geodude.

"Piplup, Quilava, over here!" Dawn shouted, bringing her battle to the lakeside.

"Let's take him out!" Ash said, Chamo on his shoulder. The battle split into three fronts: Ash and Maisy against Golbat and Machoke, Dawn against Weezing and Cacturne, and Brock and Bugsy against Beedril and Ariados.

"Alright, Teddiursa!" Maisy called out. "Use Hidden Power!" Teddiursa charged up purple orbs of energy around its body, before shooting them out at Golbat. However, the Bat Pokemon flew above and around the attack. It then proceeded to swoop down at Teddiursa, its wings cloaked in a silvery light.

"That's a Steel Wing!" realized Ash.

"Teddiursa, get down!" Maisy's warning came too late, as Golbat swooped into the Little Bear Pokemon, knocking it backwards with its wings.

"Pikachu, help Teddiursa out with Thunderbolt!" Ash called.

"Pika! Piiiika-!"

"Look out!" warned Chamo. Pikachu didn't have time to look, for Machoke came barreling down on him, ready to deliver a Karate Chop to the face. Instead, the Electric Mouse Pokemon jumped vertically, allowing Machoke to crash into the ground.

"Iron Tail!" Ash called. A quick flick of the tail, and Pikachu slammed down the attack on Machoke's back, keeping it on the ground.

"Teddiursa, use Mega Punch!" Teddiursa jumped up at the Golbat, and was finally able to land an attack. The Bat Pokemon fluttered away awkwardly, but soon recovered, and began to get ready for its next attack. Over by the water, Dawn was having a tricky time with Weezing and Cacturne. Weezing had been releasing a Smokescreen, allowing Cacturne to attack in the cover of the smog.

"Look out Piplup!" Dawn called out, too late to help the Penguin Pokemon out, as Cacturne punched Piplup out of the smoke, and into the water. "Piplup, are you alright?" Piplup quickly surfaced, a little worse for wear, but was ready for more.

"Lup! Piplup!" The Penguin Pokemon swam over towards the shore, and joined Dawn and Mamoswine on the ground. Dawn gritted her teeth. The Smokescreen was making it harder to see, and nothing short of a gust of wind could clear it away.

"Clear it away…I can do that!" The bluenette took out a Pokeball, and threw it forward. "Togekiss, use Air Cutter!"

"Togekiss!" The Jubilee Pokemon came out of her Pokeball, and immediately began to beat its wings forward. The sharp, cutting motion dispelled the smokescreen, revealing the location of the two opposing Pokemon.

"Cac?!"

"Weez?!"

"Alright!" Dawn cheered. "Now, Mamoswine, use Ice Fang!"

"Mamo!" The Twin Tusk Pokemon began to charge at the two Pokemon, his fangs becoming coated in ice. "Mamomamomamomamomamo-SWINE!" Mamoswine plowed into Proton's two Pokemon, sending them flying across the cave. The Cacturne flew past Brock and Bugsy. The two were back-to-back, with their two Pokemon protecting them from the opposing Beedrill and Ariados.

"Well, Bug-Types are your specialty…" Brock noted. "So how should we proceed?"

"I thought you were going to take the lead?" Bugsy said curiously. "After all, your Gym completely crushes my Bug Pokemon."

"Ah, let's just go for it!" Brock called out. "Geodude, Tackle attack!"

"Scyther, use Slash!" The two Pokemon charged outward, rushing the opposing Bug Pokemon. Scyther was fast enough, and cut down the opposing Beedrill with no haste. Geodude, however, was much slower, and Ariados jumped out of the way. The Ariados then shot a sticky web at Geodude, blinding the face of the Rock Pokemon.

"Hang on Geodude!" the Pokemon Breeder urged. "Hit it with Rollout!"

"Geo!" Geodude curled up into a ball, and began to roll towards the Ariados. The webbing was torn away, and the Rock Pokemon charged forward. "Dude-Dude-Dude-Dude!"

"Ari!" The Long Leg Pokemon was given the bowling pin treatment, and careened across the cave, hitting into the back of the Machoke.

"Hey, thanks Brock!" Ash called over.

"Er, no problem," Brock replied. "Even though that wasn't intentional…"

"Dude Geodude!" the Rock Pokemon stated. While this was going on, Nodoka and Chisame waited on the sidelines of the cave. Having no Pokemon to battle with, the two girls could only watch the intense six-on-six fight that was going on in front of them.

"Someone tell me how these guys can see that well in the dark like this," she asked. "Weren't we just stumbling around before with only flashlights?"

"Who would have thought that Proton would be able to let his Pokemon battle on their own, just so he could concentrate on one battle in particular," Nodoka commented. Chisame looked around the battlefield, to the three points of light. Proton was not commanding his Pokemon against Ash and Maisy. Nor was he facing Dawn, or Brock and Bugsy.

"Hey," the net idol asked nervously. "Where is that Proton fellow anyway?"

"Right behind you!" Without warning, something hard hit Chisame in the head. The redhead's eyes went wide, before she slumped on the ground, out cold.

"C-C-CHISAME!" Nodoka yelled. All five trainers turned their heads towards Nodoka and Chisame's locations. On the ground was Chisame, right next to a large rock that was used to knock her out. Behind Nodoka, and holding a knife to her neck, was Proton.

"Nodoka!" gasped Dawn.

"Let her go!" Ash demanded. The Team Rocket Executive gave a smirk that sent chills down the trainers' spines.

"You are not in any position to demand anything from me," Proton stated. "I hold the life of this young girl in your hands, and I can end it with one motion if you do not give in to me." The raven-haired trainer gritted his teeth.

"You…I thought you couldn't go any lower…but to actually kill someone just to complete you mission…you're the worst!" he shouted.

"The ends justify the means, my dear child," Proton said coldly. "Now recall your Pokemon, and surrender to me. Otherwise, this girl will not survive." Nodoka squirmed, desperately trying to break free of the Executive's grip, but to no avail.

"Guys…I don't think we have much of a choice…" Bugsy lamented. "If we move to free your friend, she…she…dies…"

"I hate to admit it, but Bugsy's right," Brock sighed. "We're better off trying to think of something with all six of us than minus one and another out cold."

"Not to mention Aniki would flip if he found out one of his students got killed like this…" Chamo noted. Proton smirked.

"It is just like I said, dear trainer," the Executive said, focusing on Ash. "The reason why I have won and you have lost is because I am willing to do what it takes to win. You hold back, letting your friends guide your emotions. That is why you have failed, Ash Ketchum."

**"HYDRO CANNON!"**

"What?!" Proton turned just in time to see a ball of water shooting right for his head. With no time to waste, the Executive let go of Nodoka and dove for the cave floor. Before Nodoka could react, something flew into her, knocking the purplette into the ground, away from Proton.

"Only a coward would fight using a bystander, Proton. But using my friend as your shield is unacceptable." Ash and the others recognized that voice. Turning towards the top of a large rock formation, they saw a boy, a girl, and a large penguin-like creature.

"Yue!" Ash shouted.

"Pika-Pikachu!"

"Yuecchi, you're okay!"

"HEY!" shouted Barry. "She had my help too!"

"Barry?!" Dawn said in surprise. "What are you doing here?"

"Lup!"

"What am I doing?" the blonde stated. "I'm helping to get Team Rocket out of this well!" He stepped aside to reveal a cardboard box. "Empoleon, get these to Ash!"

"Empoleon!" Barry's Pokemon took the box, then jumped off of the rock, and next to Ash. "Pole!" The raven-haired trainer looked in the box, then stuck both of his hands into the box.

"My Pokemon!" he exclaimed, taking out two of his Pokeballs.

"We already took our Pokemon out!" Yue said to him. "All of these are yours!" Proton gritted his teeth.

"It still will not matter," he said. "As long as I have the girl, you will not be able to-woah!" He was cut off, as a figure flew right past his nose. It yanked at his right hand, and took the knife right out of it. "Hey!"

"Hoothoot!" the Owl Pokemon cried. The Pokemon flew over the water, and dropped the knife into the lake, taking the tool out of the fight. Nodoka backed away to Chisame, as Ash, Brock, and Dawn moved up to their position, each with a Pokeball in hand.

"You're outnumbered and outgunned, Proton!" stated Brock. "Give up now!" The Executive grunted.

"Tch…It does not matter where you go or how many Pokemon you have, there will always be some of us waiting to destroy you." He paused. "Still, for you kids to be this good…none of us saw it coming. Therefore, we will pull out of the Slowepoke Well for now."

"Wait!" Bugsy stepped forward. "I want to ask a question before you go. Ever since the Lake of Rage incident a few years ago, Team Rocket has been quiet in the Johto region. Even with the GS Ball in Kurt's care, you didn't come and attack Azalea Town. Why now, then, to take it when you had the chance to do so before?" Proton turned around, his back facing the Gym Leader.

"Humph… Team Rocket continued our activities in this region underground. We gathered information about the GS Ball, and recently made a surprising discovery." He turned his head back towards the group. "This expedition turned a minor setback to the operation, but a small obstacle like you will not be much of a problem for our mission. I advise you to be very afraid of what is to come!" The Executive turned around, and began walking away from the group.

"Come back here, Proton!" Ash called. However, before he could follow him, Proton's Weezing passed right in front of him. "Ah!"

"Wheeezzzz!" The Poison Gas Pokemon released its Smokescreen attack, covering the entire cave in a thick smog.

"*Cough!* *Cough!* I can't see!" Ash cried. Similar cries were coming from the others.

"Staraptor! Blow the *cough* smoke away!" Barry released another Pokemon, this time a large grey and white hawk-like Pokemon.

"Staraptor! Star! Star!" Flapping its wings, Barry's Staraptor pushed the smoke towards the exit of the cave. However, by the time that the smokescreen had dissipated, Proton , the Team Rocket Agents, and their Pokemon had vanished from the cave.

"They're gone…" stated Dawn. Bugsy sighed.

"I don't care that he gets away," the Gym Leader stated. "I'm just glad that we're mostly in one piece through this." Brock hustled over to where Chisame was, and began shaking her body.

"Chisame, are you okay?!" the breeder asked. The Net Idol stirred, and reached for the back of her head.

"U..ugh…" she groaned. "What…what happened?"

"That Proton tried to force you guys to surrender to you," Barry stated, as he jumped down off the rock he was standing on. "He did a similar thing to me when I got captured." Yue wasn't as sure about jumping down, so the purplette opted to climb down onto the ground level. When she reached the bottom, she was greeted by a big hug from Ash.

"Yue!" the Pokemon Trainer stated. "You aren't hurt, are you?"

"Yes," Yue stated. "We were able to escape before Proton or anyone else were able to hurt us." Ash let go of her, and they both looked at their attires. Their clothing was still wrinkled and damp from their fall into the underground river.

"We've certainly had a rough day," Ash chuckled.

"If you can sum it up like that," the bibliomaniac said. "By the way, somewhere along the river, I lost the hat that your mother gave me to wear. She said that it was important to you, so I'm sorry that I lost it." The raven-haired Trainer shook his head.

"A hat is a hat," he stated. "You can always buy another one. I'll gladly trade the hat for you being okay any day." Yue blinked.

"I thought you had entered hundreds of entries into a contest for that hat," she reminded him.

"That may be true," he stated, "but I don't care for the hat. Right now, the biggest worry I had was that you weren't hurt. Proton used you to get me to steal the GS Ball. I couldn't live with myself if you got hurt because I chose the GS Ball over you. Right now, having you in one piece is all that matters." Yue simply stared at her friend of only a month or two. The impression that she had been given by him early on was that he was completely focused on his Pokemon and the challenges that they faced. However, the events of today had changed her view of him. She had thought, given that the GS Ball seemed to be an item of critical importance, that Ash would have done anything to keep it out of the wrong hands. Seeing Ash be so caring about someone, especially someone that he has known for only a little while, was something that seemed to move her.

It reminded her much of a certain ten-year-old teacher.

"Yue!" Nodoka ran up to her friend, and gave Yue the second big hug that she received in five minutes. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine, Nodoka," the baka ranger stated. "It's good to be out in the open again though."

"See," Ash stated. "I wasn't the only one that was worried." Yue smiled, having to agree with her friend.

"Yuecchi!" Chamo scampered out of Ash's damp sweatshirt. "I was worried about you too!" The purplette frowned.

"Joy…" she stated. The others soon gathered around them, with Chisame hanging on Brock's back.

"We better get back into town," the Pokemon Breeder stated. "I'm worried that Chisame has a concussion or worse."

"And there is the GS Ball we have to retrieve," Maisy reminded them.

"As well as a police force to call and sweep the cave for any traces of Team Rocket's plans," Bugsy said.

"Right," Ash stated, sighing. "Let's go."

* * *

A few miles from Azalea Town, Team Rocket had regrouped in a field. Proton glared at the dozen or so agents that have been assigned to him, including Jessie, James, and Meowth.

"You all disappoint me," he seethed. "You all are unable to stop a few kids from entering a cave and destroying our operations in Azalea Town. Because of this, the GS Ball is lost for the time being." Jessie, James, and Meowth got on their knees, along with the other agents.

"We're sorry!" they all said. "Please forgive us!" The Team Rocket Executive said nothing for a few seconds, before turning around, facing away from the agents.

"Still, we are not at a total loss. I too underestimated these children, so I take partial blame for the loss. We have valuable data about these children now, and perhaps having them hold onto the GS Ball for us is not a bad consequence. Jessie, James, and Meowth, your mission remains the same: track these kids, and report back to Giovanni about their status."

"Yes sir!" the three stated.

"The rest of you, return to base, and await assignment onto other missions," Proton stated. "I will coordinate with the other Executives about further action to retrieve the GS Ball." Another pause. The agents wondered what was going on in the mind of their Executive. However, a few of them thought they heard him mutter a phrase about getting back at a girl whose name started with a Y.

* * *

At Kurt's house, Ash and company had reconvened and were sitting in the main room of the mansion. Bugsy had stayed back with the officers to sweep Slowpoke Well, leaving the others to go to the Pokemon Center to get Chisame's head examined. Fortunately, the net idol only had a head wound, and was released with a bandage wrapped around her head.

"We got lucky in there," Brock stated grimly. "In all my years of traveling, I have never seen any member of Team Rocket go to such lengths to fulfill his mission."

"Neither have I," agreed Ash. "For all that people like Doctor Namba, Butch, and Cassidy have done that were terrible, they're just a blip on the radar compared to Proton."

"Do ya think that this is a shift in their thinking?" Chamo wondered. "Maybe they're getting serious about their missions for a change."

"I'm not sure," Barry said. "From what I could gather, they just seemed to be obsessed, and I mean obsessed, with this GS Ball. What's so special about the GS Ball anyway?"

"It's the one Pokeball that grandpa can't open," Maisy explained. "Nobody really knows what's inside of it, not even the greatest minds in the world."

"So for all we know, it could contain a legendary Pokemon," Yue stated. Maisy nodded.

"That's why I called Professor Oak when Bugsy noticed the increase in Team Rocket activity in the area," said Kurt, who entered the room. "The GS Ball is not safe here, but I trust that you can keep a good eye on the ball, Ash." The raven haired Trainer nodded.

"You can count on me, Kurt."

"Chu-pikachu!" Pikachu agreed.

"Very well, then," Kurt stated. The Pokeball guru reached into his pocket, and pulled out the GS Ball. It looked like a normal Pokeball, except that it was golden instead of yellow on the top, and had some indescribable writing above the lock. Kurt handed the GS Ball to Ash, who placed it immediately into his bag.

"So that's the GS Ball," Chisame said.

"And we're in charge of protecting it," Chamo noted. "At least until we get it back to Professor Oak."

"In addition to finding a way back home, we have the mystery of the GS Ball, and why it is so important to Team Rocket," added Yue.

"This journey just keeps getting stranger and stranger," Dawn said. Ash smiled.

"But if there wasn't a mystery to it, then it wouldn't be fun, now would it?" he asked.

**To Be Continued…**

* * *

_For Your Information…_

_Why did I say that this has more Veronica Taylor? Well, a month or so ago, one of my followers, Johnny Olde, actually met the first voice of Ash, and recorded a snippet of her saying a personalized greeting to me as Ash. The message also included a little bit of insight into what Ash might be thinking, which was modified and included at the beginning of the chapter._

_Anyone else notice the small reference to YGOTAS?_

_For now, Team Rocket has been quieted. As everyone is (mostly) save, now the focus is on the Azalea Town Pokemon Gym. Will Yue and Barry be able to defeat Bugsy and his collection of Pokemon? Tune in to find out, so for now, read, review, and subscribe for more updates! Ja ne, everyone!_

_KKid_


	18. False Start

_Soooooooooooooooooooooooooo….It's been a while, I know._

_I've been busy with things, but now, I'm back on the warpath. I want to get to 24 chapters in length and take an actual, scheduled break from this fic. So expect a lot of updates for the near future._

_For the now, however, it's part one of the Bugsy Gym battles. However, the first one won't go off without a hitch, and you'll see why below. Make sure to review after reading, since I love to hear from you guys!_

_Ketchum Kid_

* * *

**Chapter XVIII – False Start**

The next day, Ash, Dawn, Brock, Barry, Nodoka, Yue, and Chamo headed to the Pokemon Gym in Azalea Town. Chisame was unable to come with them, as Nurse Joy instructed the Net Idol to rest in order to prevent concussion symptoms, and to protect her in case Team Rocket came back for them, Ash left Pikachu behind as a guard. The two wished Yue and Barry luck on their upcoming battles.

The Azalea Town Pokemon Gym was quite different from the one in Violet City. It was located in a large, circular greenhouse on the south edge of town. Inside, trees and flowers not native to the local area were blossoming vibrantly all over, with scores of Bug Pokemon crawling around through the brush.

"It's like we've been transported into Africa or India…" Nodoka stated in awe in awe.

"Pokemon Gyms serve as conservatories for the Pokemon Types that they specialize in," Brock said proudly. "It serves as a merit of their ability to proudly preserve and maintain the vast balances that a Gym Leader stands for."

"Is that why you were proud when your brother took over the Gym in Pewter City?" Ash wondered. The Pokemon breeder nodded.

"Right. Forrest has done more than serve as a replacement for myself and my father. He's also raised Rock-Type Pokemon of his own, and even helped raise some of my Pokemon as well. He embodies what I believe are good traits as a Gym Leader."

"Yeah, well let's hope that your bro doesn't turn your Gym into an open-air rock garden," Chamo groaned. "You've already told us what happened when your Mom had the reigns." He hopped off of Yue's shoulder, and onto what he thought was a red and yellow mushroom. As he stepped on it, the mushroom stood up, with eyes poking from beneath the top of the mushroom. "Gah! It lives!"

"Parasect! Parascet!" the mushroom hummed. The ermine quickly hopped back onto Yue, and watched as the Pokemon began to walk to an open field in front of them.

"Man, I will never understand the Pokemon World…" Chamo muttered. He looked back, and noticed that Dawn seemed to be shuffling one step behind the rest of the group. "Wonder what's up with Poke-sis?" The open grassy field had white lines chalked into it to form a battlefield. A park bench stood on one side of the field, opposite of the referee in the referee box. On the far end of the field was Bugsy, wearing the same outfit from yesterday.

"Glad you guys could show up!" Bugsy called out. "Thanks again for yesterday's help. Team Rocket seems to have left the area for now, since their operations have been ruined." Ash looked at the Gym Leader.

"Did you catch Proton?" Ash asked, a serious look in his eyes. Bugsy shook his head.

"Unfortunately we were only able to capture a few low-level grunts," he admitted. "That Proton fellow that was running the show, he got away with most of the members involved." Ash frowned. Normally, he did not care for what happened to Team Rocket, but Proton's cold violence had struck a discord in the Pokemon Trainer's heart.

"I see…" he said solemnly. Similar feelings were shared by the others.

"Anyway, enough about the past!" Barry stated, breaking the silence. "What matters today is the now, and the now is that we're here for a Gym Battle!"

"Uh, Barry, I hate to burst your bubble, but we're here for two battles," Dawn pointed out. Barry facefaulted. He had been running around after getting back to the Pokemon Center that he didn't know about Yue's journey.

"Hey, hey, what's this?" the blonde stated. "Dawn, don't tell me that you're joining in on the fun as well?"

"D-do I look like I want to compete against your face?" the blunette retorted. Piplup, who was on her shoulder, sent a similar message.

"I-I guess not…" the blonde sighed.

"Ouch," Chamo groaned. "Someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed."

"Then Ash?" Barry asked. The raven-haired trainer shook his head. "Brock?"

"Nope," Brock said. "I thought we told you about this yesterday." Yue stepped forward, in front of Barry.

"Bugsy, I challenge you for a Gym Badge for the Johto League Pokemon Tournament!" she declared. Barry nearly jumped.

"Woah!" he exclaimed. "It's Yue?!" Bugsy chuckled.

"I'm glad that you're in shape to battle, Yue," the Gym Leader told her. "What you and Ash went through is what most people only get in nightmares." Yue nodded.

"Still, all things must move on, as time marches towards the future," the purplette stated. "What happened yesterday happened, but shouldn't affect what I came here to do. I need to win my first Gym Badge, and get started on the Pokemon League."

"Then why not let your friend Barry go first?" suggested the Gym Leader. "I'm sure that if you want to see how to best battle me, you'll see how I fare against an opponent that is a seasoned trainer." Barry smirked.

"Just 'a seasoned trainer?'" Barry scoffed. "I'll show you all of what I have to offer. I didn't get into the top 16 of the Sinnoh League by luck!" A bad memory came back into Ash's mind.

"Did I really sound like that after the Indigo Plateau?" Ash asked Brock.

"It didn't help that you were the best trainer from Pallet Town that year," the Pokemon breeder sighed. "But yeah, you were." Ash slumped in embarrassment.

"I thought you'd say that," he groaned. As Barry headed for the trainer's box, the others headed to the benches to watch.

"This is the first time I'm actually seeing a proper battle," Nodoka stated. "I hope it's as exciting as you and Ash told me, Dawn."

"Well, I mean it has nothing on a Pokemon Contest," the bluenette boasted," but a Pokemon battle is just as exciting. Though I doubt this battle will be as interesting, considering that Yue is going up against Bugsy next." Yue simply nodded. She was more focused on the upcoming battle.

"This is a three-on-three battle between the Gym Leader Bugsy and the challenger Barry," the officiator read. "The challenger is allowed to make substitutions during the battle, but the Gym Leader Bugsy is not. Are both sides ready?"

"Ready!" Bugsy called out.

"I was born ready!" stated Barry. "Let's show Yue how an experienced Pokemon Trainer wins a Gym Battle!"

"Let's hope he doesn't make a fool out of himself again in the process," groaned Dawn.

"Lup…" her Penguin Pokemon agreed.

"Begin the match!" the referee declared.

"Heracross, I choose you!" Bugsy called out.

"Skarmory, show them what you're made of!" Barry stated. The two Pokemon appeared on either side. Whereas Bugsy had called upon a Heracross, Barry had a silvery bird.

"Skarr!" the Pokemon cried.

"Not a bad matchup this turned out for Barry," Brock commended. "Since Skarmory is a Steel and Flying Type, he has a huge advantage over any of Bugsy's Bug Pokemon." Yue took out her Pokedex, confirming what Brock had stated.

*SKARMORY, THE ARMOR BIRD POKEMON. SKARMORY'S HEAVY-LOOKING IRON BODY IS ACTUALLY THIN AND LIGHT, SO IT CAN FLY AT SPEEDS OVER 180 MPH. PEOPLE IN THE PAST USED FEATHERS FALLEN FROM SKARMORY TO MAKE SWORDS AND KNIVES.*

"Alright, Skarmory, use Spikes!" Skarmory took off to the air, and began to rapidly flap its wings. Dozens of jagged spikes fell onto Bugsy's side of the battlefield. Heracross, however, was able to easily dodge the spikes, not even taking any damage from the attacks.

"What was the purpose of that attack?" Yue wondered. "It doesn't even seem to have done anything."

"Wait and see," Brock told her. "Spikes is a move that doesn't show its effects initially."

"And now, use Aerial Ace!" commanded Barry. Skarmory flew forward, making a loop in the air, before charging at Heracross.

"This could be over before it even starts!" Ash gasped.

"But it isn't!" Bugsy said, smirking. "Heracross, use Endure!" The Single Horn Pokemon nodded, and crossed its arms in front of its body, bracing for the impact. Skarmory came in like a truck, slashing Heracross with its large, metal wings. Heracross went flying into the sky, flipping back and forth in the air.

"Alright!" Barry cheered, fist-pumping the air. "One move, one knockout!"

"Barry, don't get ahead of yourself!" shouted Dawn. "He's not down yet!" Barry stopped cheering, and looked to the sky. Heracross had righted itself, and was turning around to face Skarmory.

"Ah! You're right!" the blonde exclaimed.

"In the heat of the moment, you forgot that Endure leaves the user with just enough health to perform a counterattack," Bugsy stated. "Now, Heracross! Reversal!"

"CROSS!" Heracross flew at Skarmory fast enough for white streaks to form in the air in front of the Single Horn Pokemon. Heracross struck Skarmory in the back, and sent the Armor Bird Pokemon to the ground. A large cloud of dust formed in the air, obscuring the battle arena for several seconds.

"Heracross!" Barry cried. The cloud of dust cleared, revealing Skarmory to be in a crater in the ground, knocked out. Next to it, Heracross stood on one knee, barely standing.

"Skarmory is unable to battle!" the referee declared. "The winner of the first round is Heracross!"

"Nooooo!" Barry cried, before hunching over. "Sorry, Skarmory. I thought we had him there. Return!" The blonde recalled his Pokemon into its Pokeball.

"What just happened?" asked Nodoka.

"Reversal is a move that deals more damage the less the user has health," Brock explained. "When you combine it with Endure, which enables the user to live with very little health remaining, it becomes a very powerful strategy."

"You could say that Barry fell for one of the oldest tricks in the book," Dawn added.

"Lup!" Piplup nodded.

"Oh shut up!" groaned Barry. He had taken out his second Pokemon. "I'm just getting fired up! Flareon, you're up next!" Bursting out of the Pokeball was a small orange feline-like Pokemon. The Pokemon had a white collar of fur around its neck, as well as a tail of similarly colored fur, and pointy ears.

"Flareon!" it cried, ruffling out its collar.

"Cool!" Dawn exclaimed. "I mean, hot!" Yue took out her Pokedex.

*FLAREON, THE FLAME POKEMON. FLAREON IS THE EVOLVED FORM OF EEVEE. THE AIR FLAREON INHALES IS IGNITED BY A FLAME IN ITS BODY AND EXPELLED AS FIRE. SOME OF THE AIR IT INHALES IS STORED IN ITS INTERNAL FLAME POUCH, WHICH HEATS IT TO OVER 3,000 DEGREES.*

"So it's a Fire-Type…" the purplette pondered. "On paper, that should give Barry the advantage over Bugsy."

"True," Ash asserted. "However, Skarmory had even more of an advantage over Heracross than Flareon does, and it went down in one strike." He paused, looking worriedly at his friend in the trainer's box. "Barry's being too rash, even for his own good. Something's taken over him, but what?"

"Heracross, use Quick Attack!" Bugsy called out. Even though its steps were slower because of its injuries, Heracross rocketed towards the Flame Pokemon.

"Use Flare Blitz!" Barry ordered. Flareon charged at the Single Horn Pokemon, its body becoming coated in a red fire. The two Pokemon met in the middle of the battlefield, their collision knocking both Pokemon backwards to their respective sides. Flareon skidded along the ground, sustaining minor injuries, but otherwise remaining unharmed. Heracross, on the other hand, landed on its back, out for the count.

"Heracross is unable to battle!" the referee declared. "Flareon is the winner of the second round!"

"Alright Flareon!" Barry cried, jumping up for joy. He turned towards the benches. "See that? That's how you defeat a Gym Leader!" The group merely sweatdropped.

"All I see is an idiot in the making," Chamo deadpanned. "You'd think he had actually won the Gym Battle with the way he was acting."

"Is everything alright Barry?" Brock asked. The blonde simply smiled and gave a thumbs-up to the bluenette.

"No need to worry, Brock!" Barry replied. "Isn't that your catchphrase?" Dawn sweatdropped.

"Now I understand why my mom says that 'that's when I worry the most,'" she groaned. "He's more shaken up than a Spinda!" Upon hearing this, Barry jumped back, seemingly turning red in the face.

"I-I'm not a mess!" he countered. "I'm playing to win, and I'm doing A-OK!" Dawn looked away from Barry.

"Whatever!" the bluenette huffed. "It's not like I know what you're thinking after all. You have one crazy mind if I've ever seen it, especially after today!" The others were confused.

"'After today?'" Nodoka asked. Dawn jumped.

"Ah, it's nothing! Noting really!" she hastily told her. "No need to worry!"

"Didn't you just say something about that phrase?" interjected Yue. Dawn sweatdropped.

"H-Hey, don't you go using my words against me!" she protested. "When I say, 'No need to worry,' I mean it, really!"

"Sure…" the purplette said unconvincingly. She then shuffled towards Ash. "Barry and Yue seem to have a strange dynamic between the two of them." Ash nodded.

"I noticed it too," he whispered. "Barry doesn't act embarrassed like this at anything, and yet he's acting that whenever he's arguing with Dawn."

"Should it be noted that Dawn seemed to be walking behind everyone on the way here, kinda shufflin' forward like Bookworm would?" added Chamo. "Maybe the two of them got into a fight or something?"

"Maybe…" Ash racked his brain for an idea, but nothing came to mind. "It feels like something important should be remembered, but I can't think of anything right now…"

"Flareon, come back for now!" Barry called. He took out Flareon's Pokeball, and recalled the Flame Pokemon from play. "And now, you're up next, Larvitar!" Throwing out a different Pokeball, a small green bipedal Pokemon with a pointed horn and red diamond-shaped patch on its belly appeared on the field.

"Tar! Larvitar!" it cried.

"Haven't seen one of these before," Dawn noted, taking out her Pokedex.

*LARVITAR, THE ROCK SKIN POKEMON. BORN DEEP UNDERGROUND, LARVITAR COMES ABOVEGROUND AND BECOMES A PUPA ONCE IT HAS FINISHED EATING THE SURROUNDING SOIL. LARVITAR CAN EAT THE EQUIVALENT OF AN ENTIRE MOUNTAIN OF DIRT BEFORE BEING ABLE TO EVOLVE.*

"A Rock Type," Dawn stated. Suddenly, she realized something. "Then that means-!"

"-Barry is using each of the three weaknesses that Bug-Type Pokemon can have," Brock finished. "A Flying Type, a Fire Type, and a Rock Type. He's looking for a quick and easy victory." Bugsy noted this too.

"You should know, Barry, that a Bug Type can have moves that can accommodate their weaknesses," the Gym Leader explained.

"Yeah, well, I don't really care about that," Barry admitted. "I'll just bank on the fact that you won't have one that will do that!" Bugsy smirked.

"Allow me to prove you wrong!" he said. "Parasect, I choose you!" Bursting out of the Pokeball was the same clawed red mushroom that Chamo had encountered earlier.

"Bah!" Chamo darted behind Yue's hair. "Not that again!" As Parasect landed, its feet fell onto some of the spikes that had been scattered around the battlefield. Parasect winced in pain, enduring a small amount of damage from the Spikes.

"Was that…" Nodoka asked, coming to realization.

"Yup," Brock nodded. "Spikes is a passive move, which deals damage to Pokemon that come into battle. Barry essentially cut Parasect's time out on the battlefield by a little bit." Yue identified the Pokemon.

*PARASECT, THE MUSHROOM POKEMON. PARASECT IS THE EVOLVED FORM OF PARAS. PARASECT ARE KNOWN TO INFEST LARGE TREES EN MASSE AND DRAIN NUTRIENTS FROM THE LOWER TRUNK AND ROOTS. WHEN AN INFESTED TREE DIES, THEY MOVE ONTO ANOTHER TREE ALL AT ONCE.*

"It says that it's a Bug and Grass Pokemon," the purplette read. "Bugsy wasn't kidding when he said that his Pokemon can cover their weaknesses."

"A Grass attack would be devastating to Larvitar," Ash stated. "Since it's a Rock and Ground type, Parasect would deal incredible damage to it."

"Larvitar, use Ancientpower!" Barry ordered. Larvitar's eyes glowed bright red. Large chunks of the ground were forced up by a strange power, and thrown towards the Parasect.

"Parasect, use Dig!" Quickly clawing the ground, Parasect dug a hole in the ground, which enabled it to avoid the barrage of rocks that Larvitar had thrown at it.

"That was fast!" exclaimed Nodoka.

"Where did it go?" Barry grumbled with nervous senses. "Be careful, Larvitar; Parasect could turn up anywhere!"

"That's the understatement of the battle if I ever heard one," Dawn sighed. Barry heard this, and turned around in anger.

"Hey, hey!" the blonde objected. "I didn't ask for your commentary, Dawn!"

"Alright Parasect, use Energy Ball!" Bugsy called.

"Barry, pay attention to the battle!" Ash warned. By the time Barry looked at the battle, he was already too late. Parasect had dug up behind Larvitar, and shot a green orb at the Rock Skin Pokemon. The orb struck Larvitar in the back, sending the Pokemon flying across the battlefield. It smashed into a tree, knocking the Pokemon out instantly.

"Larvitar is unable to battle!" the referee declared. "The winner of round three is Parasect!"

"Good job Parasect!" Bugsy applauded.

"Parasect!" the Mushroom Pokemon responded.

"Larvitar!" Barry cried. "Return!" He recalled the Rock Skin Pokemon into its Pokeball. Before returning it to his belt, the blonde looked hard at the spherical object. "What's the matter with me? I'm doing all the right moves. I have Pokemon that are strong against the Bug-Type. But why am I not winning? This should be a piece of cake for me!" Ash and the others looked back between Barry, and then to Dawn. The blunette suddenly became embarrassed under the pressure of ten pairs of eyes.

"H-Hey, I don't have a part in this!" Dawn protested. "J-J-Just because Barry's looking back at me doesn't mean that I'm the cause of his failures!"

"It's less about the action, but more of the reasons," Yue muttered.

* * *

Meanwhile, in the Pokemon Center, the door to a lit room was thrown open.

"Prepare for trouble, we're making house calls!"

"And make it double, for the disease is Pokeballs!"

"An evil as old as the galaxy!"

"Sent here to fulfill our destiny!"

"With Meowth, dat's me!" Team Rocket looked at the room. Save for a single bag, the room was empty.

"What the heck?!" Jessie exclaimed, looking at James. "I thought you said that this was the twerp's room!" James seemed to be as surprised as Jessie was.

"This was the room that Nurse Joy said they were staying at!" the Team Rocket member replied. "Unless we went to the wrong floor…?" Jessie slapped her partner. "OW!"

"You idiot!" she yelled. "If you got the wrong information, I'll have your head served to the boss on a silver platter!" James clutched his head in fear.

"I don't wanna lose my head!" the blue-haired man cried. Meowth sighed. The comedy of the scene was too much for him, in a bad way.

"Let's check da rest of da Pokemon Center," the Cat Scratch Pokemon suggested. "Da Twoips may be somewhere here yet."

"Good idea!" James stated, not wanting to get involved in any more of Jessie's temper tantrums. "Let's go!" Before anybody could object, James hurried off down the hallway. Jessie and Meowth quickly followed, leaving the door open.

A minute later, Chisame walked into the room, with Pikachu on her shoulder. The redhead had a towel over her head.

"Did I leave the door open?" the girl wondered. "I could have sworn that I closed the door when I went to shower…" Pikachu frowned, confused about the situation as well.

"Chuu…." the Electric Mouse said.

"You don't think Team Rocket came in here?" Chisame wondered aloud. "I mean, Ash insisted you stay here and protect me, since we want to prevent any issues with a possible concussion and all. They could have come and tried to use me as a ransom, just like they did with Yue." She paused for a second, then smirked. "Nah, that would never happen. Nurse Joy wouldn't even let them through the front door." The redhead laid on the bed, spreading herself out. She looked at the ceiling. While her vision was almost perfect with her glasses on, there was a little bit of disorientation as she looked at the light.

"I wonder how Barry and Yue are doing?" she said to Pikachu. "It would be nice to cheer them on, but I know that isn't the best in my condition."

"Pika, Pikachu-pi!" Pikachu encouraged. Chisame looked blankly at the Electric Mouse Pokemon for a moment.

"Wish I could understand what you were trying to say to me," she said. Pikachu's ears drooped. Chisame got out of the bed. "But I can get your message. I have to prepare for the trip through the forest tomorrow." The Net Idol sat down at the desk, and with a roll of bandages, began wrapping up her head where she had been hit by a rock the other day. "And that is by being healthy." Pikachu brightened up at this statement.

"Chu-Pikachu!" the Electric Mouse Pokemon said happily. Chisame smiled.

"I wonder who went first," the redhead wondered. "Yue, or that brash kid Barry? Seriously, 'I'm gonna fine you one million Poke if you don't stay in this Pokemon Center!' my foot! I hope he's doing horribly against that Gym Leader…" Pikachu could only sigh.

* * *

"Alright Flareon, you're my last hope. Let's take this show all the way!" Barry threw the Pokeball with extra emphasis, releasing the Flame Pokemon.

"Flareon!" the Fire Pokemon cried.

"Hey Barry!" Ash called out. "Don't let your guard down like last time!" Focus on the battle, not us!"

"T-That was a one-time thing!" Barry replied uneasily. "Dawn, I'm gonna fine you five million Poke for making me lose Larvitar in that last round!" The Bluenette huffed, and looked away from the others.

"What, is it 'Everyone-pick-on-Dawn Day," here?" she muttered. "First Barry, and now you guys, and now Barry again!" The others just ignored her, feeling it would be better to resolve the issue at a later point after the battle.

"Begin!" the referee announced.

"We'll take the first move, if you don't mind!" declared Bugsy. "Parasect, use Dig!" Parasect dug unto the ground, disappearing from sight.

"Alright, last time I wasn't having my A-game on me," Barry admitted. "But with Flareon here, we can't lose! Run to the hole and use Flamethrower into it!" Flareon ran towards the hole.

"If Flareon can get to the hole before Parasect can come out, that Flamethrower will do a huge amount of damage!" Brock exclaimed.

"We won't let him!" Bugsy stated. "Parasect, come on out and use X-Scissor!" Just as Flareon reached the hole, Parasect emerged behind the Flame Pokemon. It leaped high into the air, and was ready to bring down its two claws onto the Fire-Type.

"Tricked yah!" Barry grinned. "Use Double Team, Flareon!" Just as Parasect was about to slash Flareon's backside, the Flame Pokemon disappeared. Parasect crashed to the ground, and looked up. Before the Mushroom Pokemon were dozens of Flareons, spread out in a circular pattern around Parasect.

"Woah!" Nodoka exclaimed. "What magic is this?!" Ash chuckled.

"It isn't magic," he explained. "Double Team creates temporary clones of the user to confuse the opponent. They disappear after they are attacked, so it's only a temporary shield."

"Oh," Nodoka stated. "I thought it would be something akin to Professor Negi's Magic." The bookworm giggled. "Although, if you look at it, Pokemon could be considered magical beasts if brought to our world."

"We're going to have to shoot down all of these clones!" Bugsy told Parasect. "Use Energy Ball, rapid-fire!" Parasect nodded its head in understanding. One after another, it shot green energy balls at the Flareon clones. Each one went down, and within seconds, all the clones were eliminated. However, a new problem arose; the real Flareon had disappeared. "All of them were clones?!"

"Got you now!" Barry declared. "Flamethrower!" In front of Parasect, emerging from the hole caused by the earlier Dig, was Flareon.

"Point-blank?!" the Gym Leader gasped. "Quick, use Hidden Power!" Just as Flareon released its flame attack. Parasect quickly gathered white energy in front of its mouth. The energy turned blue just before the flames connected, exploding into a cloud of steam. Flareon called off its attack, and jumped back towards Barry. When it landed, the Flame Pokemon shook outs it collar, releasing small water droplets.

"Flareon, what's wrong?" Barry called out. Parasect skidded out of the steam with some damage done to it as well.

"Can you stand, Parasect?" Bugsy called out.

"Paras!" the Mushroom Pokemon nodded.

"That was a close one!" the Gym Leader sighed.

"What just happened?" asked Yue.

"Hidden Power is an attack that's different on every Pokemon," explained Ash. "Depending on a myriad of factors, its power and even its type will be different from other Pokemon."

"The fact that the attack now turned a blue color, and that it forced Flareon back…" pondered Brock. "I think Parasect has a Hidden Power that is of the Water-Type." The others gasped.

"But that means that Flareon's at a huge disadvantage!" Ash exclaimed. Brock nodded.

"I wanted to keep this in my back sleeve," Bugsy admitted to Barry. "But as much as I could afford to go to my last Pokemon, I want to win this right now!" Barry gritted his teeth.

"You want to end it now, as it's getting fun?" he asked. "I'm gonna have to fine you 10 million Poke if you're ending this now!" Bugsy smiled.

"Then let's test that out now!" the Gym Leader stated. "Parasect, Hidden Power! Rapid fire!" Parasect began to form its Hidden Power again.

"Flareon, dodge them all!" As Parasect fired its attacks, Flareon jumped backwards, avoiding the attack. The Flame Pokemon jumped as soon as its paws touched the ground, dodging another barrage of attacks. This worked for a while, but a problem was soon apparent.

"Flareon's running out of room!" Nodoka gasped. The Flame Pokemon made another jump, and prepared to land on the edge of the battlefield.

"Any further, and your Pokemon is out-of-bounds and disqualified," Bugsy reminded his opponent.

"We're not backing up any further!" Barry responded. "Flareon, use Flare Blitz!" The Flame Pokemon nodded, and charged towards Parasect, flames bursting from its body.

"Hidden Power, keep going!" Bugsy ordered. Parasect charged up another attack. The Mushroom Pokemon launched the watery attack at Flareon, only to see it reduced to steam upon impact. "What the?!"

"I needed the extra distance to make Flare Blitz hot enough to neutralize your Hidden Power!" explained Barry. "Now, full charge ahead!" Flareon blazed towards Parasect, making direct contact with and bowling over the Mushroom Pokemon. It flew high into the air, and then landed mushroom-down in a cloud of dust, knocked out.

"Parasect is unable to battle!" the referee declared. "The winner of this round is Flareon!"

"Alright Flareon!" Barry cheered. "That's two down! One more and this badge…" The blonde trailed off. He watched as his Flareon's knees buckled, bringing the whole body of the Flame Pokemon collapse onto the ground. "…No way…"

"Flareon is also unable to battle!" added the referee. "The previous round is now deemed a draw!" He raised a red flag towards Bugsy. "Since the challenger Barry has used all three of his Pokemon, the winner of this match is the Gym Leader Bugsy!"

"It's over…" Barry gasped. He fell on his knees in shock. "I…lost…"

"That was a good battle," Bugsy commended, as he recalled Parasect into its Pokeball. "However, I could feel that you were not giving it your all out there. It is clear something was distracting your reason for most of the battle. Come back when you're of sound mind."

"Yes…" the blonde sighed, as he took out Flareon's Pokeball. "But I don't know how I was distracted…"

"Man, Barry got schooled," Dawn stated. "First he gets beaten even when he had a clear advantage, and now he gets talked down by Bugsy." Suddenly, she felt something crawling up her shirt. "Ah! Eh?!"

"Alright, sister!" Chamo stated, coming out of the top of her shirt. "What's with the attitude towards Big Bro's friend here?" The Ermine sat on the bluenette's shoulder, and pulled out a cigar.

"What do you mean, I have an attitude?!" she retorted. "And where did you get that cigar from?"

"The latter point isn't important," Chamo answered. "But as to the former, we could all see it! You were avoiding Barry from the moment we walked out of the Pokemon Center, and you never missed an opportunity to give him a good tongue-lashing like a backseat driver would. In fact, you were the reason that Barry was so distracted in the first place."

"Come on, Pervy Ermine!" Dawn scoffed, throwing the creature off her shoulder. "Why would I have any reason to sabotage Barry in the first place?"

"U…Um…" Nodoka began. Everyone looked at the purplette.

"What's wrong, Nodoka?" asked Yue.

"This may or may not be relevant," the bookworm prefaced, "But I remember hearing some loud shouting in the hallway in the morning. It sounded like it was Dawn and Barry."

"Come to think of it, weren't we all awakened by that commotion this morning?" recalled Brock. "And wasn't Barry not in his bunk when we woke up?"

"Yeah," Ash remembered. "Could that shouting have been the commotion that has caused all of this?"

"N-N-No way!" Dawn countered. "I-I was in the shower during the whole time! There's no way it could have been -!"

"Yeah, it was us," Barry answered, as he walked towards the group. Dawn jumped in surprise.

"B-Barry!" she exclaimed.

"What happened, Barry?" asked Ash. "What happened between you and Dawn?" Dawn shot a look at Barry that read murder.

"Barry…" she growled.

"I know you told me not to tell anyone what happened," stated Barry. "But it's Ash and the others. Plus, it's really been weighing me down, and after what happened just now, I think I need to air this out."

"But…but…!" Dawn was getting red in the face.

"Tell us, Barry," Yue asked.

* * *

_Flashback_

"**Well, it all began when I woke up this morning,"** Barry started. **"Whenever it's the day before a big battle, I'm super excited, and I wake up early."**

_Barry groaned as he got out of bed. He climbed down from the top bunk in which he was sleeping with, carefully making sure not to wake up Ash, Brock, Chamo, or Pikachu. Going for his bag, he took out toiletries and a towel – all that would be necessary for getting ready_

"**The night before, we were all up late talking to Officer Jenny and the news reporters concerning the Team Rocket incident. I guess I was so tired, I forgot which way to go."**

_Barry soon found himself at the door to the showers. As he opened the door, a wall of steam greeted him, the product of a shower that was in progress. He walked in, hearing one of the showers turning off._

"_Hey, I think it's time to turn the water off," suggested Barry. "This isn't a sauna, you know."_

"_Eh?" a voice said from the shower. Barry paused. The voice wasn't masculine at all. And it was very familiar to him._

_Just then, the steam lifted._

_Peering around the shower curtain was Dawn._

"_D-Dawn?!" Barry gasped._

"_B-B-Ba-Barry?!" Dawn exclaimed. She suddenly went red as a tomato, and picking up a soap bar from her shower, chucked it at the blonde "KYAAAAH!"_

"_Woah!" Barry shouted, racing out of the way of the soap bar. He went outside, quickly shutting the door behind him. "W-What's Dawn doing in the guy's showers?!" It was at this moment he read the label on the door. "'Women's showers…' No way…I'm in the wrong?! How did I end up here?!"_

"_I don't care how you did!" shouted Dawn from inside the showers. "But if you tell anyone about this, I'm going to fine you more than you'll ever make in your lifetime, Barry!" Just then, a trainer, woken up by the commotion, peered out of his room._

"_Hey, what's going on?" the trainer asked. Barry jumped a few feet into the air._

"_Woah!" he exclaimed. The blonde turned to face the trainer. "U-Um, nothing! I-I-I think my friend just slipped inside there. Are you alright, Dawn?" There was a few seconds of silence. Barry hoped Dawn would catch onto his tale._

"…_Fine, nothing but a small bump, that's all…" the bluenette replied softly. Barry could tell there was malice on the tip of her tongue._

"_Okay, that's good to hear," the trainer said, closing the door. "Now let me sleep." Barry let out a long sigh._

_End Flashback_

* * *

"YOU WENT INTO THE WOMEN'S SHOW-OW-OW-OW!" Brock screamed, as Yue yanked his ear. She, like most of the others in the group, was now red in the face.

"I don't think we need to have this announced to the entirety of the Pokemon Gym, Brock," the Baka Ranger stated flatly. "Besides, it's embarrassing enough for the two involved." Dawn was turned away, but Yue could tell that she was a brighter shade of red than anyone.

"It was an honest accident," explained Barry. "Likely in the fog of being half-asleep, I turned left instead of right, and went into the wrong showers."

"If it's an honest mistake, then why aren't you forgiving him, Dawn?" wondered Ash.

"B-B-Because it's embarrassing!" cried Dawn. She refused to face the others. "You have no idea how undignifying it was to be caught in the shower with nothing but a curtain shielding his eyes!" Both Yue and Nodoka sweatdropped.

"I guess we can sympathize…sort of…" Nodoka stated, as the two recalled their experiences with their young professor.

"Anyway, with all of that going on, I just couldn't get it out of my head, especially every time Dawn shouted at me."

"Why?" wondered Brock. Barry turned away, looking at the ground.

"I don't really know," he answered. "Even if I did, I have this feeling, a feeling that I wouldn't want to say it in front of all of you anyway." He picked up his head. "Thanks guys, for letting me get this off of my chest. I feel like I can now actually put up a decent fight next day."

"I can't wait to see it," Bugsy stated, as he walked up to the group. "I'm glad you worked out what was holding you down." The Gym Leader turned towards Yue. "And now, isn't it time for your battle, Yue?"

"Yes," the purplette nodded. "What about the battlefield?" Indeed, the field had several holes and craters dotted around the surface, a testament to the battle that had occurred minutes ago.

"There's a second battlefield that's identical to this one a ways over," Bugsy stated. "Follow me." A few minutes later, and the group was now at the second battlefield. Bugsy took his position, and just as Yue was about to walk over and take hers, a hand rested on her shoulder.

"Hey," said Barry.

"Something the matter?" the purplette asked.

"My battle was a disappointment," the blonde stated. "If you follow me and lose as well, I'm fining you ten million in whatever currency your home world has. Got that?"

"Crystal clear," Yue answered, nodding. She then proceeded to the battle box, and took her position.

"This is a three-on-three battle between the Gym Leader Bugsy and the challenger Yue," the officiator read. "The challenger is allowed to make substitutions during the battle, but the Gym Leader Bugsy is not."

"I hope you were watching carefully, Yue," Bugsy stated to the purplette. "I may be using different Pokemon in my match against you, but the techniques that you saw me use against your friend still apply. I hope you're ready for this."

"I'll keep that in mind," Yue said, acknowledging the comments. Bugsy took out his first Pokeball.

"I choose, as my first Pokemon, Butterfree!" he declared. The Pokeball opened, and a white-winged purple butterfly appeared, fluttering above the ground.

"Freeee!" the Pokemon cried.

"So Bugsy's opening up with a Butterfree, a Bug-Flying Pokemon," Dawn stated.

"All of Bugsy's Pokemon so far have had two types, including Bug," Ash noted. "Bugsy's covering up his weaknesses with other types of moves." Yue had noticed this as well

_'I'll have to win against not just the Bug Type, but whatever type he's going to throw into the mix,'_ Yue thought to herself. _'In that case, I'll just have to go with the weakness of the second type, and not the first.'_ She selected her first Pokeball, and threw it across the field.

**To Be Continued…**


	19. Genesis

_If ever there was a world record for being the laziest in updating, it would be me…_

_Anyway, we're back with more of the Azalea Arc! Just one more chapter after this, and we're moving on towards the next city! Remember to read, review, and subscribe like always, and enjoy!_

_**EDIT 6/30/14:** In an ongoing process, the first five chapters have been edited and modified for consistency, so some minor changes (specifically, Pokemon genders and Character outfits) have been retroactively made. Check back where appropriate._

* * *

**Chapter XIX: Genesis**

"Flaffy, I choose you!" Yue shouted. The Pokeball opened, and out popped the pink sheep Pokemon.

"Flaff-ffy!" the Wool Pokemon bleated.

"So Yue's going with an Electric-Type against a Bug and Flying Type," noted Brock. "That does give her the advantage over Butterfree."

"Yeah," Barry stated, "but Type advantage isn't the silver bullet in a Pokemon Battle." He looked across the battlefield in the Gym, where Bugsy was taking note at Flaffy's appearance. "A seasoned Gym Leader like Bugsy definitely has some trick up his sleeve."

"Says the trainer who just fell for quite a few of them," quipped Dawn. Barry grunted.

"Hey, I don't see you getting in line for a Gym Battle, Dawn," he retorted.

"I'll have you know that I did have a Gym Battle once before, but I didn't find it to be my fit!" the blunette shot back. Brock quickly interrupted the squabble.

"Hey, hey, we just shot down your last feud!" he stated. "Settle down, and actually coalesce with each other for a change in pace!" Said two people simply glared each other in the eye, before looking away from each other.

"And that's probably how the Magic Associations of Kanto and Kansai started their own squabble," sighed Chamo.

"I…guess so…" Nodoka stated. Not wanting any part of the squabble, the two moved around the Sinnoh natives, and sat between Brock and Ash.

"Are all parties ready for the match?" the referee of the Gym Battle asked.

"All ready," Yue stated, nodding her head.

"Then I'm ready too!" Bugsy stated. "Let's see if Falkner's taught you anything about what a Gym Battle actually is." Yue was mildly perplexed.

"How do you know that I battled Falkner?" she asked.

"He told me a few days ago that he had sent you along my way, after I was calling about the Ruins of Alph," the Gym Leader briefly explained. "He said that you had the opportunity to surprise me, so I hope he was right." Yue merely nodded.

"Begin the match!" the referee declared, raising both flags into the air.

Yue made the first move, swinging her arm out in front of her. "Flaffy, charge in and use Thundershock!" Flaffy began running towards the Butterfly Pokemon. Halfway towards the Bug/Flying Pokemon, the Wool Pokemon crackled with electricity, and shot a lightning bolt out towards the opponent.

"Dodge it!" called Bugsy. Butterfree flapped its wings, and nimbly flew out of the way of the electric attack. "Now use Tackle!"

"Tackle it too!" Yue ordered. The two Pokemon charged at each other, colliding with great force. However, the damage dealt was different; while Butterfree fluttered and falterd in the air for a few seconds before recovering, Flaffy fell on her back and skidded for a few feet. "Flaffy! Are you alright?" Despite the damage, Flaffy was able to get up quickly.

"Flaff-Flaff!" the Wool Pokemon replied.

"That's good," Yue stated. "Move in with another Tackle attack!"

"Butterfree, use String Shot!" Bugsy declared. Flaffy began to charge the Butterfly Pokemon. However, before she could reach it, the Wool Pokemon was hit with a silky substance shot from Buttefree's mouth. It did not appear to do any visible damage, until Yue noticed that the string had shot around Flaffy's feet. As it bonded together, Flaffy lost balance, and tripped over her now-tied together feet.

"Flaffy!" the purplette called.

"Now use Silver Wind!" Bugsy ordered. Butterfree rose higher into the air, and began to rapidly beat its wings. As it did, silvery particles left its wings, shooting at and damaging Flaffy.

"This isn't looking good!" Ash stated. "There's not much that Flaffy can do when it's tied up like that!"

"We can still attack though!" Yue contended. "Thunderbolt!"

"Flaff!" Flaffy briefly crouched, before extending her arms out and unleashing the attack at Butterfree. "Fiiiiii!"

"To your left Butterfree!" Bugsy ordered. The Butterfly Pokemon was nimbly able to dodge the attack, not making any contact with the beam of lightning. When the attack dissipated, however, another result was able to be seen. "Ah! What happened to the String Shot!" The silk that had once wrapped itself around Flaffy's legs was now suddenly absent.

"The Thunderbolt must have burnt it up!" Brock surmised.

"Come on, Yue!" Dawn cheered. "Now's your chance!"

"Right!" the purplette replied. "Flaffy, use your Thunderbolt attack!" Flaffy once again unleashed a lightning bolt at Butterfree. This time, because Flaffy was able to move around, she was able to aim the attack better, striking the Butterfly Pokemon head-on. It fluttered down towards the ground weakly, nearing the end of its legs.

"Butterfree!" cried Bugsy.

"That was a critical hit!" Barry exclaimed.

"Finish with Iron Tail!" ordered Yue. Flaffy charged at the Butterfly Pokemon, and then spun 360 degrees around, striking Butterfree with a glowing tail. Buterfree was sent halfway across the field, landing on its back about five feet in front of Bugsy, out for the count.

"Freeee…" it groaned.

"Butterfree is unable to continue!" the referee shouted. "Flaffy is the winner!"

"Good job Flaffy!" Yue stated. She only showed a smirk, but mentally she was cheering._ 'That's the first time I defeated an opponent's Pokemon in battle! This is a good start!'_

"Flaffy Flaff!" Flaffy chirped excitedly

"Alright Yue!" Ash cheered.

"That was amazing!" exclaimed Yue. "I know that Barry was doing his best in the first match, but Yue seems to be on a different level of concentration! She didn't budge at all when Flaffy was put in a pinch!"

"Gee, thanks for putting me down a notch," the aforementioned Pokemon Trainer said with a sigh.

"At least you're not wearing a skirt, sighed Chamo. Once again, Dawn had dressed up the ermine in the same pink cheerleader outfit that Buneary wore, and was forced to cheer Yue on from the sidelines with Piplup and Buneary, who had no stoppage of laughter at the familiar.

"Why do you even let her do that to you?" Barry asked.

"It's tough being short and slender with tiny little paws," the ermine lamented. "You humans have it too good with the height genes, I tell ya." Bugsy had recalled his Butterfree, and now had another Pokeball ready to go.

"Beedrill, let's go!" he said. He released the large Poison Bee Pokemon.

"Kyaah!" Nodoka cried, and jumped behind the others. They looked at her with confusion.

"Nodoka, are you alright?" Brock asked.

"S-Sorry," the bookworm apologized. "Wh-While I am excited with meeting Pokemon, I don't really like the ones that look like giant bugs from our world."

"I wonder what a mini-Beedrill would look like," wondered Ash. Dawn rolled her eyes.

"You really wonder that, of all things?" the blunette groaned. Yue, who had seen a Beedrill before but never identified it, consulted the Pokedex.

*BEEDRILL, THE POISON BEE POKEMON. BEEDRILL IS THE EVOLVED FORM OF KAKUNA. IT HAS THREE POISONOUS STINGERS ON ITS FORELEGS AND ITS TAIL. THEY ARE USED TO JAB ITS ENEMY REPEATEDLY AND CRIPPLE ITS OPPONENTS.*

"So avoid the stingers basically," the purplette surmised. She turned her attention back to the battlefield. "Alright, Flaffy! Let's start off with a Thunderbolt!"

"Flaffy!" the Wool Pokemon replied. Flaffy once again sent the electric attack at her opponent. However, Beedrill stayed relatively in place, not moving to get out of the way.

"Use Agility, then Poison Jab!" Bugsy ordered. At the last moment, Beedrill moved out of the way in a blinding blur, and quickly closed the gap between the two Pokemon.

"Ah! Flaffy, use Thunderbolt again!" Before Flaffy could respond, Beedrill appeared directly in front of her. The Poison Bee Pokemon thrusted its right stinger at Flaffy, sending her backwards through the air.

"Don't let up Beedrill!" commanded Bugsy. "Twinneedle!" Giving chase, Beedrill quickly got into the air with blinding speed, and got above the flying Flaffy. Using both of its needles, Beedrill stabbed downward, sending the Wool Pokemon crashing into the ground.

"Flaffy!" Yue called. The dust cleared, showing that Flaffy was standing, but using her right arm as a crutch on the ground. "Get up and use Iron Tail!"

"Use Poison Jab again!" Bugsy ordered. The two Pokemon zoomed towards each other; Flaffy jumped and stuck her tail out to hit Beedrill, while the Poison Bee Pokemon stuck its needle out towards the wool Pokemon. While both attacks did connect at the same time, the results were vastly different. Beedrill flew backwards about ten feet before stopping in midair. Flaffy fell to the ground, unable to continue to battle.

"Flaffy is unable to battle!" declared the referee. "Beedril is the winner!"

"Good job out there Beedrill!" Bugsy cheered.

"Bee!" buzzed the Poison Bee Pokemon, raising one of its stingers into the air.

"Return, Flaffy!" Yue stated. She returned Flaffy to her Pokeball. "You did what I asked you to do, and that's all that matters."

"I saw what you tried to do at the beginning, trying to electrocute Beedrill like you did with Butterfree," Bugsy commended. "That's good and all, but when it comes to Beedrill, speed is key. I hope you remember that the speed boost that Beedrill gets from Agility, since you're not going to win with a slugging attitude." Yue nodded.

"I understand that there is more to Pokemon battling than just sheer power," the purplette stated. "There's a method to all madnesses, and you'll see what I have planned." She pulled out her second Pokeball. "Hoothoot, I choose you!" The Pokeball bursts open, revealing the Owl Pokemon, who took flight in the air.

"Hoothoot!" the Owl Pokemon cried.

"Well, Yue is going for the type advantage," Brock noted.

"Yeah," Barry said cautiously. "But with that Agility out there, Beedrill's going to fly around in circles around Hoothoot."

"Come on, Yue!" Ash called. "You can do it!"

"Begin!" the referee announced.

"Hoothoot, start off with a Reflect Attack!" Yue commanded. Hoothoot's eyes glowed, and a clear window-like barrier formed a distance in front of Hoothoot. For his part, Bugsy showed no sign of worry.

"Is that the best that you can put up?" he stated. "Beedrill, Fury Attack!" Beedrill flew right up to the Barrier, and using its stingers, placed a quick and furious assault on the Barrier. After five seconds and a multitude of jabs and thrusts, the Barrier shattered completely.

"Ah!" Yue gasped.

"The Barrier only held for that long?!" Dawn exclaimed.

"That Beedrill is one powerful Pokemon!" Brock stated with worry.

"And now, use Twinneedle!" Bugsy ordered. Beedrill flew straight towards Hoothoot, and quickly jabbed the Owl Pokemon with its twin stingers. Hoothoot was forced onto the ground, skidding for a few feet. As she got up, Hoothoot came face-to-face with Beedrill, who had closed in again.

"This is quickly going from bad to worse!" Chamo stated in panic.

"Get out of there!" Ash yelled to Hoothoot.

"Beedrill, use Poison Jab!" commanded Bugsy. Beedrill raised its right stinger to jab at the Owl Pokemon. Before it could bring the stinger down, however, electricity started to arc across Beedrill's body. All of a sudden, Beedrill stopped moving and twitched in pain.

"B-Bee…" the Poison Bee Pokemon groaned.

"What's going on?!" Bugsy exclaimed. His confusion was shared by the others in the stand.

"How was Hoothoot able to generate electricity?" asked Nodoka. "I thought you guys said that Hoothoot was a Flying Type?"

"She is," Ash stated. "Electricity wouldn't be possible for Hoothoot to create." Suddenly, Brock came to the realization of the situation.

"It wasn't Hoothoot that did that," the Pokemon Breeder declared. "It was Flaffy!"

"Flaffy?" Nodoka stated in confusion. "I thought that Flaffy had been knocked out? How could she be still affecting the battle?" Ash came around to the same thinking as Brock.

"Of course!" the Pokemon Trainer stated. "It had to be Flaffy's Ability, didn't it?" Brock nodded.

"Right," the Breeder said. "Flaffy's Ability is Static, which has a chance to paralyze the opponent. My guess is at the end, when Flaffy used Iron Tail against Beedrill, it wasn't about causing damage; it was to give Static the biggest opportunity to activate on Beedrill!"

"I see!" Nodoka stated in understanding. "Pokemon sure seem to have all sorts of mysteries and surprises to them!" On the battlefield, Yue was mentally exhaling a sigh of relief.

'_It looks like the plan to try and paralyze Beedrill worked,'_ she thought. _'Now at least that Beedrill won't buzz around the playing field as fast as before.' _Bugsy realized this as well, and he grunted in frustration.

"We can still win, even if we don't have the speed! Beedrill, get moving!" Even as he said this, Beedrill was still unable to move, still fully paralyzed. "Still no?!"

"Now's our chance, Hoothoot!" declared Yue. "Use Mimic!" Hoothoot quickly jumped up into Beedrill's face. Mimicing the Poison Jab move, the Owl Pokemon made a vicious stab at the Poison Bee Pokemon, forcing Beedrill back away from Hoothoot. "And now, use Peck!" The Owl Pokemon continued to chase Beedrill, pecking and jabbing at the Bug Pokemon, causing significant and serious damage to the Poison Bee Pokemon.

"Alright!" cheered Chamo. "Yuecchi's turned this around!" Waiving a pair of paper fans in the air in the air, the ermine was doing his best impressions of a cheerleader as he jumped and danced around the sidelines bench. "Rah! Rah! Go Yuecchi go!"

"Dude, I thought you were loathing the cheerleader outfit a moment ago?" asked Barry.

"Yeah, well it goes to show how much I care when good things are happening to one of my bro's partners!" Chamo countered. "Give him a left hook, Hooty!"

"But she doesn't even have hands!" Barry exclaimed. "Ah, nevermind, I think he's lost it…"

"We need some offense!" Bugsy stated. "Beedrill, use Fury Attack!" Beedrill was able to shake off some of the paralysis, and charged at Hoothoot with its stingers.

"Up and to the left!" shouted Yue. Hoothoot nodded, and flew in the direction that the purplette had stated, dodging the attack. "Let's finish this! Use Peck!" Flying in a loop, Hoothoot negotiated until she was aimed directly at Beedrill.

"Beedrill, get out of there!" Bugsy ordered. Beedrill tried to move, but static electricity arced over the Poison Bee Pokemon's body. "No, not the paralysis again!"

"Go!" Yue called. Like a military bomber, Hoothoot flew into Beedrill's face, and launched a furious barrage of pecking in Beedrill's face. Beedrill stammererd backwards, then fell over, unable to take the barrage of Flying Type attacks.

"Beedrill!" Bugsy cried. However, no amount of words could help the Poison Bee Pokemon.

"Beedril is unable to battle!" shouted the referee. "Hoothoot is the winner!"

"Good job, Hoothoot!" Yue stated. Hoothoot flew over to Yue, and landed on her head. "Ah…"

"Hoothoot! Hoothoot!" Yue did not want to interrupt Hoothoot's celebration, so she said nothing.

"That's two down!" Chamo stated. "An' Yue has a type advantage over Bug Type Pokemon! This battle should be over in a flash!" Ash was not as sure.

"Normally I would agree with you, but I think I know what Bugsy's last Pokemon is," the raven-haired Trainer stated. "And if it's as strong as it was back when I faced it, Yue's going to be in a tough spot." Bugsy returned Beedrill into its Pokeball.

"You've done well, Beedrill," the Gym Leader stated. He then looked across the field to Yue. "I'm impressed with you, Yue. You've shown a lot of good things that I love to see in a young Pokemon Trainer. You have a level mind, quick thinking, and sound strategy. You should be proud of yourself." Yue and Hoothoot nodded. The Owl Pokemon flew back onto the field, ready for the next round.

"I'll relax once this match is over," said Yue. "While I am thankful for the praise and compliments, they should be saved for after the victor is decided."

"You do have a point," Bugsy stated. He took out a Pokeball. "However, this last Pokemon is one of my trusted partners, and you won't be reveling in victory that easily." He tossed the Pokeball into the air. "Go! Scyther!" Yue recognized the Pokemon that came out of the Pokeball as being the same one that Tracey had back in Pallet Town.

"Scyther!" the Mantis Pokemon cried.

"I figured as much," Ash groaned. "That Scyther gave me problems when I battled Bugsy years in the Johto Circuit."

"Yeah," Brock concurred. "It could have only gotten stronger since that time."

"Begin the match!" declared the referee.

"Go Hoothoot!" Yue commanded. "Use Peck Attack!"

"Dodge out of the way, then get to the back!" Bugsy shouted. While Hoothoot made a beeline for Scyther, the Mantis Pokemon instead flew over the Owl Pokemon, and made it to the back of the room. "Now use Swords Dance!"

"Cyther!" the Mantis Pokemon cried. Scyther moved its scythe-like arms upwards, towards its body. Scyther began to spin around in place, moving in a fast speed.

"Huh?" Chamo wondered. "What is that Scyther doing?" Even Ash could not come up with an answer.

"When Bugsy used Swords Dance against me, he used it as a fire shield against Cyndaquil," he stated.

"But Hoothoot isn't a Fire Type Pokemon," Nodoka said.

"Bugsy was improvising with that move back then," Brock stated, a worried expression dawning on his face. "Swords Dance is a move that greatly raises a user's attack power. Bugsy's trying to finish things off in one blow!"

"That means that Yue won't have any time for strategy if she can't survive a single blow!" exclaimed Dawn.

"Piplup Pip!" the Penguin Pokemon said in agreement.

"Bun!" Buneary cried.

"Hoothoot, strike while Scyther's occupied!" Yue ordered. "Use Peck!"

"Hoothoot!" the Owl Pokemon cried. Hoothoot charged at Scyther, and extended its beak out towards the Mantis Pokemon. Scyther had just broken out of its Swords Dance as Hoothoot reached with her attack, and was unable to defend itself from the Flying Pokemon.

"Get to the other side and use Swords Dance again!" Bugsy called. Scyther flailed its arms around, forcing Hoothoot to break off from attacking. The Mantis Pokemon then flew over to the opposite side of the field. It stopped, brought its arms together, and once again spun around in place.

"Go and use Peck again!" Yue ordered. Hoothoot flew towards the Mantis Pokemon, and qunned for a critical hit.

"Gotcha!" stated Bugsy. "Scyther, use Quick Attack!"

"What?!" the purplette exclaimed. As Hoothoot was halfway across the field, Scyther suddenly broke off its Swords Dance, and charged Hoothoot with a full-body tackle. The lightning-fast attack completely engulfed Hoothoot, sending the Owl Pokemon flying across the battlefield, and taking serious damage.

"Hoothoot!" Yue cried.

"What power!" Barry exclaimed.

"Scyther's gotten way more powerful with its Swords Dance boosts!" Ash exclaimed.

"Let's go!" Bugsy stated. "Aerial Ace!"

"Scyther!" the Mantis Pokemon cried. As Hoothoot tried to get up, Scyther came speeding at the Owl Pokemon. Lifting its right scythe to its side and out, the Mantis Pokemon slashed across Hoothoot's body, causing tremendous damage to the Owl Pokemon. Hoothoot was sent flying across the battlefield, and crashed into a tree behind Yue. The purplette went wide-eyed, and turned around to run and get her Pokemon.

"Hoothoot!" she cried. As she reached her Pokemon, the referee raised the red flag.

"Hoothoot is out of bounds, and is ineligible to continue!" the referee declared. "Scyther is the winner!" Even if Hoothoot was in bounds, it was clear that Hoothoot could not continue further. The Owl Pokemon had serious damage taken to its little body, and was weakly opening her eyes.

"Hoothoot, you did great out there," Yue stated subdued. "Thank you for your participation."

"Hoo…" the Owl Pokemon cooed weakly.

"Take a nice rest," the bibliomaniac said, and withdrew Hoothoot into her Pokeball. She then walked back into the battle box.

"It…it only took two attacks for Scyther to take down Hoothoot," Nodoka stated in stunned shock. "D…Does Yue have a chance…?"

"It's going to be a battle," admitted Brock. "For any fully-evolved Pokemon, two Swords Dances are tough to shake off, but Yue doesn't have any fully-evolved Pokemon."

"Man, this isn't pretty," Chamo groaned. Ash had his hand on his chin, and was looking at Scyther intensely. He then looked at Yue. The purplette clenched her last Pokeball, the one containing Squirtle, with a strong, firm grip. Her eyes were staring not at Scyther, but at Bugsy, her opponent on the other side of the battlefield.

"I think Yue still has a good shot at this," the Pokemon Trainer declared. The others looked at him with surprised looks.

"And what makes you think that?" asked Dawn incredulously. "Is this your 'Classic Ash' coming to fruition, or are you just making a hunch?" It took a few seconds for Ash to answer.

"Call it a hunch if you will, but Yue is not going to be backing down easily," he replied. "She has the will to push through impossible odds. I wouldn't place doubts on her just yet." A few seconds of silence occurred between the players on the sidelines. Dawn opened her mouth, but before she could speak, someone else voiced their opinion.

"I agree," said Nodoka. "I don't have any reason for doubt. Yue is my friend, and I'll support her even when nobody else is." She then turned to Ash, locking eyes with him. "Besides, you believed in saving me, a stranger, when faced with formidable odds. I don't have reason to doubt you." Ash was surprised at this statement at first, but soon understood, and smiled at the bookworm.

"Looks like this is the final round," Yue stated to Bugsy. "Since you've gone this far, and relied on your most trusted partner, it's time to show you what my partner can do!" The purplette pulled upright, then with incredible force, threw the Pokeball forward towards the battle. "Squirtle, I choose you!"

The Pokeball flew high in the air, before opening up in a brilliant burst of light, releasing into Yue's Squirtle. "Quirtle!" Squirtle seemed to have the same determined look that his trainer had.

"Final round, Squirtle versus Scyther!" the referee announced, raising his two flags into the air. "Begin the match!"

"Let's get this done quickly!" called out Bugsy. "Quick Attack, go!"

"Scyther!" the Mantis Pokemon cried. Quickly zooming off towards Squirtle, Scyther prepared to deliver a devastating blow to the Tiny Turtle Pokemon.

"Withdraw!" Yue ordered.

"Squirt!" the Pokemon yelped, and disappeared into his shell. A second later, Scyther rammed the Tiny Turtle Pokemon. Instead of dealing a massive blow, however, it seemed that the Mantis Pokemon had hurt itself, as Scyther moved backwards from the shell in pain.

"Scyyy!" the Mantis Pokemon groaned.

"What the?!" groaned Bugsy. Yue threw her arm out forward.

"Come back out and use Ice Punch!" she declared. In a flash, Squirtle returned from his abode, tapped briefly on the ground, and then lunged back into the air at Scyther. Cocking his right fist, the Tiny Turtle Pokemon slammed an icy punch at the Mantis Pokemon, sending it reeling backwards.

"Awesome!" cheered Barry. "By hiding in its shell, Squirtle avoided the brunt of the attack, and was able to come back quickly with a super effective attack!"

"Let's keep going!" Yue called. "Use Bubble Attack!" Rearing back his head, Squirtle unleashed a stream of bubbles towards the Mantis Pokemon.

"Slash those Bubbles!" shouted Bugsy. Using its scythes, the Mantis Pokemon nimbly hacked and slashed away at the onslaught of bubbles. "Now use Aerial Ace!"

"Scyther!" With blinding speed, the Mantis Pokemon rushed towards Squirtle, making up the distance between the two Pokemon in near-record time.

"Withdraw!" called Yue. Squirtle entered his shell, and once again was protected from any damage. The shell was pushed backwards for some distance, before coming to rest on the ground, upside-down. When Squirtle popped out of the shell, the Tiny Turtle Pokemon's arms and legs were unable to reach the ground.

"Squr?" the Tiny Turtle Pokemon said in confusion. When the realization hit him, Squirtle went into a panic, helplessly flailing his arms around in a vain attempt to get up. "Squir! Squir! Squir!"

"Squirtle!" Yue shouted.

"This isn't good!" Brock stated. "On the back of the shell, Squirtle can't move at all!"

"X-Scissor!" Bugsy commanded.

"Scy!" Scyther rushed towards the helpless Squirtle. The Mantis Pokemon raised both of its scythes high into the air, before slashing them across Squirtle's vulnerable underbelly in a crossing motion. "Scy…THER!"

"SQUIRR!" Squirtle was scent flying across the field, nearly falling out of bounds in front of Yue. The Tiny Turtle Pokemon skidded on his injured belly for a few feet before coming to rest.

"Oh no, Squirtle!" Dawn gasped.

"Squirtle just took a direct hit from that boosted X-Scissor!" Barry stated. "If this isn't over now, it's close to it!" Yue, meanwhile, had to refrain from stepping onto the battlefield and tending to her Pokemon's wounds. Doing so would end the challenge then and there.

"Are you alright Squirtle?!" the purplette asked. Squirtle did not move for a second, before beginning to struggle up, and returned upright on two legs.

"Squir….tle…." It was clear that the battle was taking its toll on the young Pokemon, as he was worn and weary, gasping for breath at every opportunity.

"I'll say again, I commend you for getting this far," Bugsy said to Yue. "However, most Trainers usually visit me after proving themselves to Falkner, and are at least a few levels stronger than you are now. I won't blame you for ending your challenge now, and trying again after you become stronger."

The thought had crossed Yue's mind. For the second time, she was being bested by a Gym Leader's Pokemon. While Butterfree and Beedrill's tactics were easily dispersed, Scyther was proving that there was no easy way to counteract Swords Dance's immense power.

'Maybe we should take it again,' she pondered. 'I know some of his tactics, as well as his Pokemon. If I can put those to good use…but I'll need a way to break through that Swords Dance powerup…'

"**No way."** The purplette was snapped out of her thought bubble by a familiar face. Turning, she looked to see that Ash had gotten off his bench, and was now next to her, just outside the trainer's box.

"Huh?" she stated in surprise.

"What do you mean, Ash?" Bugsy inquired.

"Yue has the resolve to stay through the end of this match," the raven haired trainer announced. "She's decided to use the Gym Challenge here in Johto to figure out a way to get home. If she quits here, it's like quitting on all of her friends. Besides, the two of us have been training together for moments like this. If I could break through Swords Dance with Cyndaquil a few years ago, then Squirtle can get past it too."

Bugsy placed a hand on his waist. "Heh, I will have to admit that even at that young partnership you had with that newly-caught Pokemon, you were able to best me and Scyther, Ash. But that was a while ago. Scyther and I are stronger now, and we'll prove it!" The Gym Leader looked at his Pokemon. "Scyther, another Swords Dance!"

"Scy Scyther!" Once again, the Mantis Pokemon began to spin around in its spot, brandishing its scythes together.

"That makes three…" Chamo noted.

"Now any hit landed by Scyther will definitely be the last!" Brock said worriedly.

Ash turned to speak with Yue. "You're almost there. I think one or two well-timed hits can take Scyther down. Just be mindful of Scyther's speed, and you should be fine." The Pokemon Trainer turned around, and headed back towards the benches.

"How do you have so much faith in me with this?" Yue asked him. Ash stopped, and turned back to face the bibliomaniac.

"You're doing what I would do," he stated calmly. "That, and I trust you. If I don't trust my friends, I can't trust myself." He flashed a soft, innocent smile, one that made Yue blush slightly. Then, without saying another word, he continued back to the bench.

'_That idiot…'_ the purplette thought to herself. _'Putting so much trust in me when I don't have a complete trust in myself. How is there any way to conquer so much power and speed if I don't have anything to…' _A thought occurred to her. Taking out the Pokedex, Yue quickly checked Squirtle's moves. '_Of course! That's what he was trying to tell me! It's not certain, but if I can pull this off…'_ At that moment, Scyther came out of the Swords Dance.

"Scyther, let's end the battle!" Bugsy commanded. "Use X-Scissor!" Scyther rushed at Squirtle with what might be the deciding blow of the battle.

"Squirtle, Bubble, and dodge out of the way at the last second!" Yue shouted. Squirtle quickly shot forth a stream of bubbles towards Scyther. Compared to the power that the Mantis Pokemon currently had, however, the bubbles seemed to be dust specks.

"Scyther, cut them down, and continue on!" Bugsy ordered. "Chase after Squirtle!" Complying, Scyther hacked at the bubbles. Cutting the bubbles caused very little damage, to the Mantis Pokemon, and the attack continued right towards the Tiny Turtle Pokemon. While Squirtle jumped out of the way, the Mantis Pokemon anticipated the dodge, and followed Squirtle's short arc through the air. With one move, Scyther brought up the attack over Squirtle's head, just as the Tiny Turtle Pokemon touched the ground…

…but when the scythe was brought down, all it hit was dirt.

"Scy?!" the Mantis Pokemon cried in confusion.

"What's this?!" Bugsy stated in equal shock.

"Tackle!" Yue called out. Squirtle had jumped to the side of the attack, dodging it in the process. With one move, the Tiny Turtle Pokemon stepped on the ground, and with a quick pivot, launched himself towards Scyther with tremendous speed.

"Squirrrrrr-TLLLLEE!" With a loud crash, the Tiny Turtle Pokemon full body tackled the Mantis Pokemon, sending Scyther back by several feet.

"Scyther, get back in there!" Bugsy exclaimed. "Use Quick Attack!" Scyther was standing at a much closer distance to Squirtle than previous times, so when Yue ordered for a Withdraw, it seemed like the order would not be for much gain. However, as Scyther was within a few inches of striking, Squirtle disappeared within his sturdy abode. Remembering that Squirtle was liable for an Ice Punch immediately after, the Mantis Pokemon shot Squirtle across the field, far enough away so that Scyther would be out of easy range.

While this was going on, the crowd on the bench tried to make sense of the sudden turnaround of the battle, starting with Barry. "What the heck? First, it looked like this battle would be over in a second, and now Scyther seems to have gotten a bad case of double vision!"

"Even I'm at a loss for what's going on," Brock admitted. "It's as if Squirtle's been given a new wind!" Nodoka, who had been quietly observing since the battle resumed, then spoke up.

"Um, doesn't it seem like Bugsy's Pokemon has gotten slower?" she asked. This confused the trainers, so everyone turned their focus away from Squirtle, and onto Scyther. As the Mantis Pokemon moved throughout the air, it was going at a high rate of speed. However…

"…Yeah, it does look a little sluggish compared to earlier," Chamo noticed.

"What could have done that?" Dawn wondered. "Nothing was given to Scyther during the battle, so it can't be an item effect."

"The only thing that happened before was a Bubble attack…" Barry started, but he was cut off from continuing by Brock.

"Of course!" the Pokemon Breeder exclaimed, reaching an epiphany. "It's the bubbles!"

"The bubbles?" Barry repeated. "What's that got to do with this?"

"Bubble Attack has a slight chance of lowering the opponent's Speed," Brock explained. "There must have been a Speed drop with that Bubble Attack, allowing Squirtle to jump out of the way in time!"

"I see!" Dawn said, continuing on with Brock's explanation. "It's not that Squirtle got faster; Scyther got slower!" Her face of excitedness then turned to one of surprise. She, followed by the others, turned towards the one person who had not contributed to the conversation.

"What?" stated Ash. "Just because I sometimes make mistakes doesn't mean that I don't have the right ideas."

"I am seriously considering seeing you in a different light, Ash," Brock told him. The others nodded their heads, to which Ash simply shrugged.

"Scyther, use Aerial Ace!" Bugsy called out. "We need to end this fast!" Scyther charged at the Tiny Turtle Pokemon, but the Speed drop made the otherwise fast attack execute at a much more pedestrian pace, allowing Yue time to counter.

"Rush in with Bubble, Squirtle!" she ordered. Squirtle took a deep breath, then blew out another stream of bubbles in front of Scyther.

"These are getting to be rather troublesome!" the Gym Leader stated, gritting his teeth. "Cut them up again!" Using the Aerial Ace attack, the Mantis Pokemon cut up each bubble one by one. However, it seemed that each bubble made Scyther move even more slower than before. "Tch, not another Speed drop!"

"That's what we were planning on!" Yue declared. "Ice Punch!" As Scyther popped the last Bubble, Squirtle came into view immediately behind it, at close range. Bugsy was impressed.

"You used the Bubble as a cover?!" he exclaimed. Squirtle cocked his right fist, which became encased in ice, and delivered an uppercut blow to Scyther. The Bug/Flying Type Pokemon howled in pain, before falling backwards on the ground. Squirtle landed on the ground in front of the Mantis Pokemon, and turned around, ready to continue. Yue, equally tense, awaited Scyther to get up and continue battling.

That moment never happened.

"Scyther is unable to continue!" the referee shouted, raising his green flag high into the air. "Squirtle is the winner!" He then pointed the flag towards Yue. "The Gym Leader Bugsy has no remaining Pokemon he can use. Therefore, the winner of this match is the challenger, Yue Ayase!"

Winner.

Yue Ayase.

Three words that seemed to strike Yue from her blindside, as the purplette could only stand in a neutral, shocked silence. "I…won?"

"You did it, Yue!" Her first congratulations came from her closest friend, Nodoka Miyazaki. The bookworm, usually shy, had run out to the Trainer's Box, and clasped both of Yue's hands with her own. "I don't know how you were able to do it, but you did! That was amazing!"

"Y…Yeah, I guess I did…" Yue replied. Squirtle was next, leaping onto his trainer's face with such vigor that Yue fell onto the ground. "Ah! Squirtle?!"

"Squirtle! Squirtle-Squirt-Squirtle Squirtle!" The Tiny Turtle Pokemon seemed to be channeling all of the excitement she could muster, as her tail was wagging back and forth in rapid motion. Yue managed to pull the Tiny Turtle Pokemon off of her face, and, despite her normally neutral expression on her face, the bibliomaniac could not help but offer a soft smile at her Pokemon.

"You did a really great job out there, Squirtle," she stated. "I couldn't have done it without you in the end." She then looked up, and noticed that there was a gloved hand extended out towards her. "Although I would have been sunk if you hadn't reminded me to keep my mind in the battle, Ash." The raven haired trainer smiled, causing Yue to blush again.

"You were the one that was battling out there, not me," he stated. "Come on, I think Bugsy has something for you." Yue's smile grew larger.

"Yeah," she said, and grasped Ash's hand, allowing him to pull her up. The two, combined with the others, walked over to Bugsy. The Gym Leader had just recalled Scyther, and was looking rather embarrassed.

"Now I look like an idiot for suggesting that you should have conceded the battle," Bugsy said sheepishly. "You were able to turn that around in a hurry; it just goes to show that my own research into Pokemon isn't complete just yet."

"You were able to push me into a corner," Yue admitted. "It would not have been such a good battle if you hadn't done that, so don't beat up on yourself that much. I have only been in the Pokemon World for only a short while, while you have been living here for years. Your knowledge of Pokemon far surpasses mine." This made Bugsy smile.

"That may be well said, but you've proven to me that you are my superior in strength." He took out a small pin from his pocket. The pin looked like a ladybug, with three black dots on a red circular background. The top quarter of the pin was black, giving the impression of a head. "This is the Hive Badge, which is confired to those that have bested me in an official Gym Battle. Take it, it's yours!" Yue took the badge from Bugsy. The badge seemed to have an extra glisten after she took hold of it.

'_This proves that I am able to hold my own in battle,'_ Yue thought to herself. _'And is proof that I have the strength needed to find Professor Negi and the others.'_ Remembering what Ash had done at the Battle Factory, she held her newly-acquired badge high in the air. "Alright! We have our first badge, the Hive Badge!"

"Squirtle-Squirtle!" cheered Squirtle.

"Oh yeah!" Chamo cheered, crashing in on the celebration. The ermine's appearance in the cheering spectacle seemed misplaced in Yue's eyes.

"Hey, you weren't the one who was battling out there," she pointed out.

"I was forced into this stupid dress to cheer you on, so naturally, I get to help out with the festive spirit!" Chamo countered. "Besides, don't you get to thank all those who helped you, Yuecchi-GWAH?!" At the mention of her nickname, Yue planted her foot right on Chamo's tail. "OW! OW! TORTURE! ANIMAL CRULETY! MALPRACTICE! ANYBODY!" The others simply sweatdropped, knowing that Chamo had brought this onto himself.

"Ash, Nodoka, Brock, Dawn, Barry…" Yue stated. "Thank you for all the help that you gave me today. Each of you contributed to me reaching this moment, so I have your gratitude with me."

"Even though my contributions were only in watching me lose…" muttered Barry. This made Dawn elbow her friend in the side. "Ow!"

"It was our pleasure!" Dawn stated, putting on an innocent smile to counter Barry's glaring stare.

"But remember that it was your own abilities, as well as those of your Pokemon, that got you here," Brock continued.

"You are making great strides," Ash finished. "And I can't wait to see you take this all the way to everyone else!"

"Everyone will be so amazed to see you like this when we meet up!" Nodoka said with assurance. Yue nodded, giving off a smile that said that better days were ahead.

Chamo, meanwhile, had fainted from the shock of not being mentioned at all.

* * *

Chisame had been instructed before the others had left for the Gym to check out everyone from the Pokemon Center's rooms. They would check back in if Yue lost, or Barry would if he lost, but they had all banked on good faith of the battles that were to come. So as soon as she was dry and changed from her shower, and her bandages had been wrapped around her head, the net idol packed her things, and headed down to return the keys to their rooms to Nurse Joy.

"Thank you for staying at the Pokemon Center!" stated Nurse Joy to Chisame. "I hope your head is feeling much better." Chisame nodded.

"It is…It's still a little sore, but I can't just stay in bed all day to get better," the redhead replied. "Besides, my friends and I wanted to check out today anyway. We want to get through Ilex Forest and into Goldenrod City as soon as possible."

"Pika-Pikachu," agreed the Electric Mouse Pokemon, who was on Chisame's left shoulder.

"Are you stopping anywhere in Ilex Forest, or simply cutting through nonstop?" the Pokemon nurse asked. Chisame looked at Pikachu. The Electric Mouse shook his head, signaling that he knew no such plans.

"No, we're just heading to Goldenrod to get to the next Gym," she stated.

"In that case, you can probably avoid Ilex Forest altogether," the nurse replied. "A cycling road opened up not far out of town. It cuts right across the Forest, so what used to take a week or two to get through the forest can now be done in a handful of hours." Hearing that they did not have to go through the forest made Chisame very happy, even if she did not show it.

"That's good," the girl replied. "Any forest for the next few months is too soon for me…" She did not want to admit it, but her rather uncomfortable experience in Viridian Forest had given her a phobia of the more wooded locations.

"Beg pardon?" Nurse Joy asked. Chisame snapped out of her thoughts.

"No, it's nothing," the net idol stated. "Anyway, goodbye Nurse Joy!"

"Goodbye!" the nurse stated with a warm smile. "Safe journeys ahead!" Chisame headed towards the door. As soon as she turned around, the warm smile that she had given the Pokemon Doctor faded into her usual stoic face. "Not that I'm ungrateful or such, but everyone here is too cheerful. It's like seeing Professor Negi and his sunny students every day. You'd think some would have Team Rocket's lesser-than-happy attitudes about life."

"Pika…" Pikachu wondered. He did not really understand what the redhead was trying to convey. As they exited the door, they could hear the sound of running, and Nurse Joy shouting at somebody for running indoors. The two got twenty-five feet clear of the door when it opened, and the sound of three footsteps rushed outside. Chisame was able to turn around, just as three assailants leapt for her and Pikachu.

"SURPRISE CAPTURE!" the three yelled. Their sneak-attack, however sudden, was short-lived: a quick sidestep ensured that the three landed face-first on the dirt ground. "UGH!"

"Great," cursed Chisame. "Mention Team Rocket at all, and you get the three stooges appearing in a heartbeat."

"Pika-Pikachu!" growled the Electric Mouse Pokemon. The three got up rather quickly to retort the statement.

"Listen here, you prick!" Jessie declared. "We just spent the last hour combing the Pokemon Center for you and your twerpy friends, only to find you nonchalantly strolling out of the Pokemon Center like you were going to frolic!"

"That's right!" added James. "We had to miss breakfast to catch the early break on you guys, but you have to make us look until lunchtime!" He pointed towards Pikachu. "Now hand over Pikachu and the others!" Chisame groaned.

"First of all, I'm not as happy-go-lucky as the others are by a long shot, so I wasn't nonchalantly strolling away," she retorted. "Second, the others are at the Pokemon Gym, and unless you want to face Bugsy so soon after your organization terrorized Azalea Town, you'll want to not go after them." The second statement made the three groan.

"You mean we could've simply waited 'till after lunch to get the Twoips?" Meowth groaned. "Man, and we was sure dat an early start would've surprised you all before we went hungry!"

"Now we starved for nothing…" James grumbled. The two received fists to their heads from their comrade. "Gah!"

"Stop thinking about food at a time like this, or I'll give both of you knuckle sandwiches!" the red-haired Rocket ordered. "Anyway, we can still take Pikachu right now!"

"Dat's right!" Meowth stated. "It's only youse two, and Pikachu alone isn't gonna be enough to face off the two of you, 'specially since youse aren't a Trainer." The three Rockets took a step forward. Pikachu chittered on Chisame's shoulder, sparks occasionally radiating from his cheeks.

'_They are right, though,'_ the net idol though to herself. _'I could command Pikachu, but I don't have as much knowledge as Ash or the others are…is my only option to run to the Gym and get help?'_

"**What's all this?" **a voice stated from behind the Team Rocket trio. The three turned around. A large figure stood no more than five feet away from the group. He was wrapped up in a large red cloak over a grey shirt and pants, and his shoulderblade-length grey-blue hair obscured his left eye. The sight of this man caused the three Team Rocket members to jump out of their skins.

"Ah!" they yelped. "It's the Sinnoh Smasher!" The three jump behind Chisame, cowering in fear.

"Wa?!" stated a confused Chisame. "What are you doing, getting behind my back?!"

"Please understand, it's not like we're after Pikachu or your friends or anything, ehehe…." James stated nervously.

"We just don't want to tangle with the wrong sort of people, and we want to make sure you don't either," Jessie added in the same tone. Chisame raised a curious eyebrow.

"Seriously, is this a joke?" she asked. "What's gotten into you?"

"I seriously hope that you weren't trying to rob this poor, innocent girl of her Pokemon," the man stated. Team Rocket sweatdropped. "I believe that Team Rocket recently got chased from this town, so a bunch of petty, simpleminded crooks from their lowest ranks will be Officer Jenny bait if I tell the right sources." Team Rocket nervously laughed, their sweatdrops having gotten incrementally bigger each time the man insulted them.

"**Don't even bother," **another voice stated from behind the man. This voice was much better known to Chisame and Pikachu, as its owner stepped out into sight. "These three are incompetent enough to not be worth the police's time."

"You're…Paul?" Chisame stated in surprise.

"Pikachu?!"

"It's the Anti-Twerp!" Team Rocket stated. Paul took notice at Pikachu on Chisame's shoulders.

"What are you doing with Ash's Pokemon?" he stated. "Don't tell me he's finally realized how worthless an unevolved Pokemon is and passed it off to you?" The insult was not taken kindly by the Electric Mouse Pokemon.

"Pika, PikaPika, PikachuPi!" he barked.

"Hey, hey, cool it!" Chisame stated to the Pokemon. She then turned her attention to Paul. "I'm not a trainer; Pikachu's just looking out for me while the others are out at the Gym for Yue's Pokemon battle."

"Humph!" Paul stated. "They should've been back by now, considering how easy that Gym Leader was." He took out a case from his pocket. Opening it, he showed Chisame and Pikachu that he had three badges, including the Hive Badge. "Then again, for someone who's never been in a Pokemon Battle before, I doubt you'd understand." Chisame gritted her teeth, as did Pikachu.

"Now, now," the man stated, trying to ease the tensions between the two. "I thought you were here to battle me, not to trade insults back and forth with aspiring young women." He then looked at the four. "Actually, your timing is impeccable. I need a referee so that the two of us can battle each other. Young Paul here wants to prove that his Pokemon could do better in a fight with me than Ash's." The man then walked up to Chisame, while focused on Pikachu. He placed a hand underneath Pikachu's chin, and rubbed it gently, causing a once-apprehensive Electric Mouse Pokemon to be calm and cheery once more. "Granted, you and your Pokemon friends did the best fight anyone put up against me in a long time before our battle got interrupted, so this ought to be a show."

"Let me get dis straight," Meowth repeated. "You want one of us ta officiate a match between da strongest trainer in Sinnoh an' Mistah Antagonist here?"

"That's about right," the man stated. "Let's head to the practice fields behind the Pokemon Center." He and Paul began walking. As the man walked past Team Rocket, he turned his head towards them, giving the three the nastiest glare that Chisame had seen since arriving in the Pokemon World. "Oh, and if you three try to pull something, I think you know what will happen to you." This warning sent the hairs on all three Rockets on end.

"Y-Yes sir!" they stated together. The man put on a smile, then turned forward again.

"Forget what I said earlier," Chisame stated in surprise. "It'd be tough to find anyone at Mahora that's that angsty and dark." She then turned to the three Rockets. They were still shaking in their feet. "Why are you three all nervous? And furthermore, why are you all agreeing to all his demands when you're all against the law?" Jessie and James looked at the Net Idol.

"Didn't the Twerps tell you?" Jessie asked. "That man was the main Twerp's opponent in the Sinnoh Conference before it was interrupted by Magical Twerp's appearance. And by opponent, I mean tormentor, because he was winning by a wide margin."

"That man is the only person I've seen take on the Twerp and wipe the floor with him like a ragdoll," James added. "That man is him, Tobias."

**To Be Continued…**


End file.
